President Donald Trump vowed the U.S. will retrieve Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium and may destroy the material after recovery.
The move aims to prevent Iran from possessing the material to ensure it cannot be used for a nuclear weapons program. The retrieval of these materials represents a significant escalation in the effort to dismantle Iran's nuclear capabilities.
Speaking during a White House press briefing on the South Lawn on Thursday, March 23, 2026, Trump said that Iran must give up its enriched uranium stockpile. He said that the U.S. does not want or need the material, but will not allow Iran to keep it.
Trump said that Iran has agreed to hand back its enriched uranium stocks. However, other reports indicate that Iran says it will not hand the material over.
According to the president, Iran possesses approximately 400 kg of highly enriched uranium [1]. Trump said that this uranium was buried by U.S. and Israeli airstrikes nearly one year prior to the statement [1].
"We don't need it, we don't want it... but we're not going to let them have it," Trump said.
The administration's focus remains on the total removal of the stockpile to eliminate the possibility of a nuclear weapon. The president said that the recovery is a necessity for global security, regardless of whether the material is ultimately destroyed or stored elsewhere.
“"Iran must give up its enriched uranium stockpile."”
This directive signals a shift from containment to active retrieval of nuclear materials. By targeting a specific quantity of uranium—approximately 400 kg—the U.S. is attempting to remove the physical means for Iran to produce a nuclear weapon. The contradiction regarding Iran's agreement to hand over the stocks suggests a volatile diplomatic environment where the U.S. may be preparing for forced retrieval if negotiations fail.
