Iranian authorities have begun distributing iodine tablets to residents living near nuclear facilities amid growing concerns that the United States could launch another round of military strikes, The Times reported Friday.
An Iranian Health Ministry official, speaking anonymously, told the newspaper that authorities had sought to distribute the tablets to communities located within two to three kilometers of nuclear installations during each war.
The report also cited an Iranian political journalist who said reporters had recently been briefed on the possibility of an American nuclear strike against the Pickaxe Mountain facility. According to the journalist, officials were treating that scenario as a serious possibility.
The reported precautions come as US President Donald Trump weighs additional military action against Iran while diplomatic efforts to resolve the confrontation continue.
During an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News on Monday night, Trump warned that American forces could strike Pickaxe Mountain within an hour if ordered to do so, although he also expressed confidence that Tehran wanted to reach an agreement.
“We bombed out all of their potential nuclear power. Now, we might have to go after Pickaxe [Mountain], but that’s not a big deal. We can do it in, literally, we can do that in one hour, okay, as soon as we want, at any time we want.”
Trump renewed his warning Thursday during remarks to reporters in the Oval Office, emphasizing that the United States remained prepared to conduct further strikes.
While indicating that he would prefer to avoid additional destruction, the President suggested that a decision on renewed military action might be approaching.
“I would rather not destroy the rest of the country if possible, but maybe I’ll have to. You will know soon enough.”
“If we have to do the rest of the Iran thing, we’re very much locked and loaded,” Trump stressed.
The military warnings have coincided with continued diplomatic contacts over Iran’s nuclear program.
On Thursday, The New York Times reported that Iranian officials were examining nuclear-related proposals submitted by international mediators, raising the possibility of renewed negotiations with Washington.
A senior Iranian official subsequently told Reuters that Tehran had presented its own nuclear proposal to the United States through Qatari intermediaries.
However, the official said Iran would refuse to enter negotiations until Washington met seven conditions established by Tehran.
(Arutz Sheva-Israel National News’ North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)
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