U.S. Defense Secretary Threatens Iran Over Enriched Uranium Issues

On April 8, Xinhua News Agency reported from Washington that U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stated that the U.S. is closely monitoring Iran's uranium enrichment activities. Iran must either hand over the enriched uranium to the U.S., or U.S. forces may take action to "retrieve it themselves."

During a joint press conference at the Pentagon with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, Austin said that any nuclear materials that Iran "should not possess" will be removed according to ceasefire negotiations. "We know what they have, and we are confident they will ultimately hand it over. If necessary, we will go and retrieve it ourselves. We will do whatever it takes to achieve this goal."

Austin stated that the large-scale military operations conducted by the U.S. and Israel have essentially destroyed Iran's military capabilities. He mentioned that Iran accepted the ceasefire under immense pressure, and U.S. forces were prepared to carry out large-scale strikes against Iran's "power plants, bridges, and oil and energy infrastructure targets" on the 7th.

Milley stated that the U.S. military has achieved its military objectives against Iran, and the ceasefire is merely a temporary "pause," with U.S. forces always ready to resume combat. He also noted that since the outbreak of hostilities, U.S. forces have struck over 13,000 targets in Iran. The U.S. and Israeli militaries have also targeted about 90% of Iran's weapon factories.