Washington D.C. — In an expansive and high-stakes interview aired Sunday, President Donald Trump escalated his rhetoric against the Islamic Republic of Iran, vowing that the United States would successfully locate and confiscate the regime's leftover nuclear material. Speaking with Sharyl Attkisson on "Full Measure," the 79-year-old Commander-in-Chief asserted that securing Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile is the administration’s absolute priority, warning that American military technology is monitoring every inch of the contested region from space.
The President’s comments come at a critical juncture in the 2026 conflict, as the U.S. and its allies transition from active heavy bombardment to a complicated diplomatic and security phase. While the war has largely dismantled the traditional Iranian military apparatus, the question of "missing" nuclear material continues to haunt international security experts and the White House alike.
We’ll get that at some point, Trump declared, referring to the enriched uranium that the U.S. believes is still hidden within the country. We have it surveilled. You know, I did a thing called Space Force, and they are watching. If somebody walked in, they can tell you his name, his address, the number of his badge. We have that very well surveilled. If anybody got near the place, we will know about it, and we’ll blow them up.
The President’s reliance on the U.S. Space Force highlights the technological nature of this modern conflict. However, the ground reality remains perilous. Throughout the duration of the war, the Trump administration has repeatedly weighed the possibility of authorizing a high-risk ground troop deployment—a "snatch-and-grab" mission—specifically designed to enter fortified or subterranean facilities to physically secure the nuclear material. While the President has notably held off on giving the final go-ahead for such an operation, the threat remains a central piece of his leverage.
The urgency of these claims is underscored by the aftermath of Operation Midnight Hammer. In June of last year, U.S. forces successfully bombed three of Iran’s most sophisticated and high-priority nuclear sites. Despite the massive destruction caused by those strikes, intelligence reports suggest the job is unfinished. Earlier this year, Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy, revealed that during failed rounds of negotiations, the Iranian regime claimed to still possess enough nuclear material that, if fully enriched, would be sufficient to produce 11 nuclear weapons.
The physical state of this material is a point of contention. Trump has long maintained that much of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure is now little more than "nuclear dust," buried deep underground beneath layers of rubble and reinforced concrete following the combined aerial campaigns of the U.S. and Israel. Yet, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cautioned that the threat persists.
I think it accomplished a great deal, but it’s not over because there’s still nuclear material—enriched uranium—that has to be taken out of Iran, Netanyahu told CBS News’ "60 Minutes" in a recent segment. All that is still there, and there’s work to be done. You go in, and you take it out.
The push for physical confiscation aligns with the Trump administration’s broader strategy of "total denuclearization" as a prerequisite for any permanent peace deal. Last week, a 14-point framework for peace talks was reported, yet the two sides remain at a profound loggerheads. Iran’s refusal to surrender its remaining stockpiles has stalled progress, while Trump expressed deep skepticism about the regime's reliability at the negotiating table.
They make a deal, and then they break it, Trump told Attkisson. They’re militarily defeated. In their own minds, maybe they don’t know that, but I think they do, because I deal with them. And we cannot ever let Iran have a nuclear weapon.
Trump’s assessment of Iran’s current state was characteristically blunt. He painted a picture of a nation whose infrastructure has been effectively erased. They have no navy. They have no air force. They have no anti-aircraft weaponry. They have no radar. They have no leaders. Their leaders are gone. The first set, the A-Team, is gone. The B-team is gone, and part of the C-team is gone. If we left today, it would take them 20 years to rebuild.
While the President focused on the global geopolitical stage, a harrowing criminal case back in New York City has also dominated domestic headlines. On Saturday, May 9, the New York Police Department announced the arrest of Jakhongir Sattorov, 38, following a brutal sexual assault in the Bensonhurst neighborhood of Brooklyn.
Sattorov is accused of a horrific attack on a 59-year-old woman in her own home. According to police reports, the suspect allegedly beat down the victim’s apartment door on 15th Ave. and 71st Street on Friday evening. After gaining entry, he reportedly demanded sex. When the terrified woman refused, Sattorov allegedly beat her severely and throttled her while carrying out the assault.
The victim, who knew Sattorov as a neighbor, was able to report the attack to the NYPD several hours later and was subsequently treated at Lutheran Hospital. Sattorov, who has a history of at least seven previous arrests primarily for drug possession, now faces three counts of rape, two counts of assault, criminal obstruction of breathing, and criminal mischief.
Throughout Saturday, the quiet Brooklyn street was flooded with NYPD crime scene investigators and the Special Victims Squad. Detectives were seen removing multiple evidence bags from the home as the city grappled with the news of the predatory attack.
Whether in the streets of Brooklyn or the bunkers of Iran, the weekend’s news highlights a world defined by the pursuit of security and the enforcement of the law. As President Trump prepares for the next phase of negotiations with a crippled but recalcitrant Tehran, the international community remains on edge, waiting to see if the "Space Force" surveillance will lead to the final confiscation of the world's most dangerous materials.
