Trump: US can extract Iran’s uranium even without a deal

Trump said the material remains under extensive surveillance by the United States.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

President Donald Trump said the United States retains the ability to seize Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile if necessary, while remarks from both Washington and Tehran highlighted continuing uncertainty over the future of negotiations and the durability of the ceasefire between the two countries.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Trump suggested the United States could remove the uranium even without Iranian consent as part of a peace framework, though he acknowledged the operation would be complex.

“Getting there [Iran] is not like Venezuela. You have to be there for two weeks. You need a lot of equipment,” President Trump said. “There was a time at the beginning [of the war] when we thought about doing it.”

Trump said the material remains under extensive surveillance by the United States.

“It’s being photographed from every angle. We can get it out now – if anyone gets close to it, we will know what to do,” the president said.

The president also addressed the possibility of direct contact with Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. While saying he would not seek such a meeting, Trump indicated it could occur if the two sides ultimately reached an agreement.

“If it happened … I’d be respectful,” Trump said.

The comments came as Tehran and Washington continued to publicly disagree over the state of negotiations.

Trump has indicated that an agreement could be reached soon, while Iranian officials have maintained that the discussions have yielded “no tangible progress.”

On Thursday, a statement attributed to Khamenei said that Israel and the US, after “facing a decisive blow,” are now “experiencing a deeply meaningful and profound humiliation.”

Khamenei has not appeared publicly since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran on February 28. During strikes that day, his father and predecessor, Ali Khamenei, was killed and Mojtaba Khamenei was wounded.

Separately, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, citing several US officials, that Trump told aides he would only end the ceasefire with Iran if Tehran kills American troops.