WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump said the United States will ensure the destruction of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile regardless of whether a diplomatic agreement is reached with Tehran.
In an interview with NBC News aired Sunday, Trump said Washington would either remove and destroy the material as part of an agreement or take military action if negotiations fail.
“We’ll take it out and destroy it, whether it’s on-site or whether we take it off-site,” Trump said.
He added that the United States would act “with them, or without them.”
Trump warned that if no agreement is reached, the US would remove Iran’s enriched uranium “militarily, very harshly.”
“We won’t have people shooting at us” if the two sides “go together,” he said, referring to a negotiated solution.
The president also said it would be “foolhardy” to withdraw US troops from the Middle East before negotiations are concluded.
Asked about Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, Trump claimed there was a “good probability” that he knew the Iranian leader’s location following reports that Khamenei was seriously injured.
The remarks come as Washington and Tehran continue indirect negotiations aimed at ending the conflict that began in late February and addressing disputes over Iran’s nuclear program, sanctions relief and regional security issues.
Source: Saudi Gazette