Iran remains undeterred after June strikes, US envoy to Israel says

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said Iran appears not to have fully absorbed the message of Washington’s strike on the Fordow nuclear facility during the Israel–Iran war in June.

“I don’t know that (Iran) ever took (US President Donald Trump) seriously until the night that the B-2 bombers went to Fordow,” Huckabee said in an interview at a conference hosted by the Israeli security and foreign policy think tank Institute for National Security Studies.

Addressing reports that Iran is attempting to rebuild Fordow, Huckabee said the apparent reconstruction efforts suggest the warning was insufficient.

“I hope they got the message, but apparently they didn’t get the full message because, as you mentioned, they appear to be trying to reconstitute and find a new way to dig the hole deeper and secure it more,” he said.

Israel launched strikes on Iranian nuclear and military targets on June 13, accusing Tehran of pursuing a covert nuclear weapons program — a charge Iran denies.

The attacks were followed by 12 days of hostilities, with the United States joining with a one-off strike on Iranian nuclear facilities on June 22. Iran responded with missile strikes on a US air base in Qatar, saying it did not seek further escalation.

'Threat to Europe'

Asked whether Washington would authorize another Israeli strike on Iran if Israel concluded such action was required, Huckabee referred to Trump’s repeated public position on Iran’s nuclear program.

“All I can do is point you to what (Trump) has said repeatedly, and he consistently has said Iran is never going to enrich uranium, and they’re not going to have a nuclear weapon,” Huckabee said.

Huckabee said any renewed effort by Iran to restore its nuclear or ballistic missile programs would have broader consequences beyond the region.

“It presents a real threat to all of Europe,” he said.

“And if the Europeans don’t understand this, then they’re even dumber than I sometimes think they are,” Huckabee added.

IAEA push for inspection

Huckabee’s remarks come as International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi said last week that the agency remains unable to access several of the country’s most sensitive nuclear sites following the June strikes.

Grossi said the IAEA is “only allowed to access sites that were not hit” during the June war.

“These other three sites—Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow—are even more significant, since they still contain substantial amounts of nuclear material and equipment, and we need to return there,” Grossi said.

Huckabee warned that Tehran poses a threat to the United States as well.

“The president has made it clear this isn’t only about Israel,” he said. “Iran’s ultimate objective is the United States.”