Overview
- President Donald Trump told reporters he would not be comfortable with Russia or China taking possession of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
- Trump has proposed that the material be turned over to the United States or destroyed in place or at an agreed site with the Atomic Energy Commission or an equivalent body serving as witness.
- Russia’s state nuclear firm Rosatom and UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia have publicly offered to assist in transferring or to store Iran’s enriched material if Tehran requests that option.
- The uranium is reported to be buried under sites damaged by last year’s airstrikes, which makes removal technically difficult and increases safety and verification challenges.
- Diplomatic talks have so far produced no breakthrough, reports say a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports remains in place, and control of the material is now a central sticking point that could reshape negotiations and regional risk calculations.