President Trump said Thursday he will not let Iran keep its highly enriched uranium, a possible sticking point in negotiations to reach a lasting peace in the Middle East conflict.
“We don’t need it, we don’t want it. We’ll probably destroy it after we get it, but we’re not going to let them have it,” Mr. Trump said in the Oval Office.
Reuters reported earlier Thursday that Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei decreed his country’s near-weapons-grade uranium should not be sent abroad.
Refusing to ship enriched uranium out of Iran will likely complicate peace talks.
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Pakistani mediators are working feverishly to strike a deal that extends a ceasefire in the region and paves the way for a lasting peace.
Mr. Trump this week said Iran needs to meet his terms in the coming days or face renewed strikes.
“We’re going to either make sure they don’t have a nuclear weapon or we’re going to have to do something very drastic,” Mr. Trump said Thursday. “When it’s put to the people of our country, they would all agree that we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon.”
The U.S. and Israel started the war on Feb. 28 with airstrikes that killed Iran’s top leaders and decimated its military infrastructure. Iran retaliated by clamping down on maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil chokepoint.
Democrats and other critics say Americans are losing patience with the war as they see higher gas prices and accelerating price inflation.
The U.S. average price of a gallon of gas stood at $4.56 on Thursday, up 53% from when the war started, according to the AAA motor club.
Mr. Trump on Thursday said gas prices would end up “lower than they were before” once the war ends. He says economic pain is worth the goal of keeping a nuclear weapon out of Iran’s hands.
“This is the nuclearization of a country that some people would say is somewhat crazy,” Mr. Trump said.
The U.S. is trying to squeeze Iran economically with a maritime blockade that is making it hard for Iran to export oil and get revenue. Mr. Trump said Thursday he is scrutinizing plans between Iran and Oman to formalize control of the Strait of Hormuz and possibly charge tolls.
“We’re looking at it,” Mr. Trump said. “We want it free, we don’t want tolls.”
Mr. Trump insisted the U.S. maintains control of the Strait of Hormuz through his blockade.
