US to recover uranium from Iran at a ‘leisurely pace’, Trump tells Reuters
By Steve Holland
WASHINGTON, April 17 (Reuters) – The United States will work with Iran to recover Iran’s enriched uranium and bring it back to the United States, President Donald Trump told Reuters on Friday.
“We’re going to put this together. We’re going to go in at a slow pace with Iran and go down and start digging with big machines… We’re going to bring it back to the United States,” Trump said during a phone call.
He spoke of “nuclear dust” and added that it would be received “very soon.”
Iran has denied agreeing to transfer its enriched uranium to the United States.
“Iran’s enriched uranium will not be transferred anywhere; transferring uranium to the United States has not been an option for us,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei later told state television.
Trump’s mention of “nuclear dust” is a reference to what he believes is left over after the US and Israel bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities in June last year.
Iran is believed to have more than 900 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity. The issue of Iran’s nuclear program has been one of the most difficult issues in the US-Iran negotiations.
Trump said, “The main reason for the war is to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.” Iran says its uranium enrichment, a process that produces fuel for power plants and nuclear warheads depending on its duration, is strictly for peaceful civilian use.
Trump, clearly excited by the prospect of a deal to end the war, has said the United States will maintain a naval blockade of Iran until a deal is concluded.
“I think the agreement will be concluded very quickly. We get along very well with Iran,” he said.
Trump said more talks would be needed to reach a deal and that they would take place “probably over the weekend.” He added that he could go to Islamabad after the deal is made.
“I didn’t make that decision,” he said. Trump also said that the United States was working with Iran to clear the strait of mines.
Responding to a report that the US was considering $20 billion in cash for the uranium deal, Trump said: “This is completely false. No money changes hands.”
(Reporting by Steve Holland; Writing by Katharine Jackson; Editing by Michelle Nichols and Alistair Bell)
