U.S. President Donald Trump said he would jointly retrieve and dispose of Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium (HEU) on the condition that a peace deal to end the war with Iran is reached. If the talks ultimately collapse, he plans to neutralize Iranian forces with a powerful military strike and then secure the uranium without authorization. The move is seen as deploying both carrot-and-stick tactics at once to clinch end-of-war talks with Iran, which have stalled.
According to major foreign media reports on the 8th, Trump unveiled these end-of-war conditions for Iran in an NBC interview on the 5th. The United States and Iran have been engaged in back-channel negotiations during a precarious cease-fire since the war began on Feb. 28. The key sticking points are how to handle the uranium and when to lift asset freezes.
On how to handle nuclear-weapons-grade material, Trump said, "If we agree to have a friendly relationship, we will all go together," adding, "Whether we dispose of it on-site or move it elsewhere to dispose of it, we will take it out and dispose of it." He continued, "If there is no agreement, we will strike them very hard with military force," warning, "Only after that will we go in, and either way, our safety will be assured." He signaled a plan to carry out a preemptive strike on Iran and forcibly retrieve the uranium if talks fail.
He drew a clear line against Iran's demand to lift frozen assets first. Asked whether sanctions could be lifted before a deal is reached, Trump said, "That's something for after," adding, "If they behave properly and show good behavior, we will start discussing it then." Iran is demanding the immediate return of about half of its overseas assets worth $100 billion that are frozen under sanctions, right after a deal. According to Al Jazeera, Mohsen Rezaee, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader, framed the unfreezing of funds as a "test of trust" between the two countries and said, "The talks are at an impasse."
Trump said the talks are "very close," but added that he demanded an additional clause to block not only Iran's direct development of nuclear weapons but also any "purchase, procurement, or acquisition." Iran initially resisted inserting the clause but eventually accepted it, according to reports. He also touted the achievement of establishing the Space Force. On monitoring nuclear facilities, Trump said, "We have cameras in space," adding, "If someone walks there, we could read the name on the collar of their clothes."
On the possibility of withdrawing the 50,000-strong U.S. force deployed in the Middle East, he dismissed it as "a foolish decision." Trump said, "It costs almost no expense," adding, "We will keep U.S. forces there until the situation is resolved." The calculation is to keep using U.S. troop presence as leverage to pressure Iran in the talks. At the same time, asked whether he is willing to speak directly with new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded Ali Khamenei after he was killed in U.S. airstrikes early in the war, Trump said, "If he wants to, I will," leaving the door open.
Trump pushed back against criticism that the outbreak of the war broke his campaign pledge not to start "new wars." He said, "I do not like endless wars, and this is not an endless war." He also brushed off remarks from the campaign, saying, "I never promised anything." Even as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has sent global energy prices soaring and widened economic fallout, he maintains that stopping a nuclear-armed Iran is the top priority. He said, "When everything is settled, gas prices will go down."