Trump outlines different options for destroying Iran’s enriched uranium
Washington: US President Donald Trump said that Iran’s enriched uranium will be destroyed after being handed over to the United States, in place, or at another “acceptable location.”
“The Enriched Uranium (Nuclear Dust!) will either be immediately turned over to the United States to be brought home and destroyed or, preferably, in conjunction and coordination with the Islamic Republic of Iran, destroyed in place or, at another acceptable location, with the Atomic Energy Commission, or its equivalent, being witness to this process and event,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Trump did not specify how much enriched uranium was involved. The International Atomic Energy Agency has previously monitored Iran’s nuclear activities under various inspection arrangements, reports Xinhua news agency.
Earlier on Monday, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that Tehran had not agreed to transfer enriched uranium abroad, rejecting a report by Saudi-based Al Hadath news channel claiming that “Iran is prepared to remove its highly enriched uranium from its territory.”
Tasnim said that the report about details of a potential memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Tehran and Washington was not true.
“In the text of the MoU that exists to this day, there is no statement declaring (Iran’s) readiness to remove nuclear materials, and Iran has essentially made no commitment regarding nuclear actions in the memorandum,” according to Tasnim.
The Washington Post, citing an Iranian official, said Monday that in the first phase of a possible deal, Washington will release 12 billion US dollars in frozen Iranian assets, minesweeping in the Strait of Hormuz will begin, and the US blockade will be lifted.
However, the deal does not include a nuclear agreement, the Iranian official was quoted as saying.