US President Donald Trump has declared that eliminating Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium remains one of Washington’s primary objectives in ongoing negotiations with Tehran, warning that military action remains an option if diplomacy fails.
Speaking in an interview with NBC News, Trump said the United States wants Iran’s enriched uranium reserves removed and destroyed as part of any future nuclear agreement. He suggested that if negotiations succeed, the process could be carried out cooperatively and under mutually agreed arrangements.
“If we reach a deal and have a friendly relationship, we can do it together,” Trump said. “We will remove the material and destroy it, whether on site or somewhere else.”
His comments provide one of the clearest indications yet of how the Trump administration views the future of Iran’s nuclear program and the conditions it considers necessary for a lasting agreement.
Trump also made clear that Washington is preparing alternative options should negotiations collapse. He warned that the United States would be prepared to take military action to eliminate Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles if diplomatic efforts fail to produce an acceptable outcome.
The remarks come as multiple rounds of discussions between US and Iranian officials continue over the future of Tehran’s nuclear activities. While both sides have indicated a willingness to pursue diplomacy, major differences remain over enrichment levels, sanctions relief, verification mechanisms, and the long-term structure of any agreement.
The US president further stated that American military forces will remain deployed across the Middle East while negotiations continue and until the outcome of the talks becomes clear. The comment reflects Washington’s continued emphasis on maintaining military deterrence alongside diplomatic engagement.
Trump also made a brief reference to Iran’s leadership, suggesting that he may know the whereabouts of Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iran’s Supreme Leader, though he provided no additional details and did not explain the significance of the remark.
The future of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile remains one of the most contentious issues in the negotiations. Washington argues that reducing or eliminating these reserves is essential to preventing Iran from acquiring the capability to produce a nuclear weapon. Iranian officials, however, continue to insist that the country’s nuclear program is exclusively peaceful and intended for civilian purposes.
The dispute reflects a broader strategic divide that has defined US-Iran relations for decades. While successive American administrations have sought limits on Iran’s nuclear activities, Tehran has maintained that it has the sovereign right to develop nuclear technology within international legal frameworks.
Trump’s latest remarks are likely to intensify political tensions between Washington and Tehran at a sensitive moment in the negotiations. By openly discussing the possibility of military action, he has underscored both the importance the United States places on the issue and the high stakes surrounding the outcome of the talks.
The comments also highlight a central reality facing negotiators: despite ongoing diplomatic engagement, the gap between compromise and confrontation remains narrow. Whether the current negotiations produce a diplomatic breakthrough or deepen an already volatile standoff could have far-reaching consequences for regional stability, global energy markets, and the broader international non-proliferation regime.
