President Donald Trump announced on Friday the United States will collaborate with Iran to recover enriched uranium and transport it back to American soil. “We’re going to get it together. We’re going to go in with Iran, at a nice leisurely pace, and go down and start excavating with big machinery… We’ll bring it back to the United States,” Trump said during a phone interview with Reuters. He referred to “nuclear dust” and added that retrieval would happen “very soon.”
However, Iran firmly denied agreeing to transfer its enriched uranium to the United States. “Iran’s enriched uranium is not going to be transferred anywhere; transferring uranium to the United States has not been an option for us,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei later told state TV.
Diplomatic Talks Continue Under Blockade
Trump’s “nuclear dust” comment references what he believes remains after US and Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites last June. Iran reportedly possesses more than 900 pounds of uranium enriched up to 60% purity. Consequently, this nuclear issue remains among the thorniest topics in ongoing US-Iran negotiations.
Furthermore, Trump stated preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon primarily motivated the recent military action. Meanwhile, Iran insists its uranium enrichment serves strictly peaceful civilian purposes. Trump, clearly excited about a potential war-ending deal, confirmed the US will maintain its naval blockade until an agreement finalizes. “I think the deal will go very quickly. We’re getting along very well with Iran,” he said.
Additionally, Trump noted both sides need more talks, probably over the weekend, adding that he “might” visit Islamabad once a deal materializes. “I haven’t made that determination,” Trump said. The United States also works with Iran to remove mines from the strait. Responding to reports about a $20 billion cash-for-uranium proposal, Trump declared, “It’s totally false. No money is changing hands.”
