President Donald Trump said the United States will obtain Iran’s highly enriched uranium and will not allow the country to keep the material [1, 2].
This move represents a significant escalation in tensions over nuclear proliferation. The removal of near-weapons-grade material would theoretically prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, but the process involves immense geopolitical and security risks.
Trump said the objective of recovering the uranium was a move driven largely by public relations [2]. He said the U.S. does not actually want the material for its own use, but believes it must be removed from Iranian control [1].
"We don't need it, we don't want it... but we're not going to let them have it," Trump said [1].
However, the Iranian government has explicitly rejected the possibility of the material leaving its borders. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader, issued a directive stating that the country's enriched uranium should not be sent abroad [3].
Experts have questioned the feasibility of such an operation. While Trump has implied the seizure will be carried out, some reports suggest that securing the enriched uranium by force would be a complex, risky, and lengthy process [4].
Trump's comments, reported in March 2026, signal a strategy of aggressive non-proliferation. The administration's goal is to ensure that the material is confiscated and destroyed to eliminate the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran [1, 2].
“"We don't need it, we don't want it... but we're not going to let them have it."”
The conflict between the U.S. goal of uranium removal and Iran's directive to keep the material creates a volatile diplomatic standoff. Because the material is located within Iran, any attempt to 'obtain' it without Iranian cooperation would likely require military intervention, which carries a high risk of broader regional conflict.
