Trump Says Iran’s Enriched Uranium Could Be Disposed of Inside the Country

President Donald Trump said on May 25 that Iran’s enriched uranium, a central issue in negotiations to end the war, could be disposed of inside the country.

In a social media post, Trump wrote that the enriched uranium would either be handed over immediately to the US for disposal or destroyed in Iran, or at another mutually acceptable location, with Iran’s consultation and cooperation. If the material is disposed of in Iran or a third country, the process would proceed with representatives of the US Atomic Energy Commission or an equivalent body present as observers, he wrote.

It was the first time Trump has mentioned the possibility of disposing of enriched uranium in Iran. He had previously maintained that Iran’s highly enriched uranium must be handled by the US. Russia earlier proposed taking Iran’s enriched uranium and processing it, but the US rejected the offer.

Iran has about 440 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60%. Of that, about 200 kilograms, or roughly half, is believed to be buried in underground tunnels at the Isfahan nuclear facility.

Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, recently ordered that enriched uranium must not be taken out of the country. On May 10, Iran asked the US to dilute part of its enriched uranium and keep it in Iran, while sending the rest to a third country and returning it to Iran if nuclear talks collapse.

Kim Dong-hyun, Hankyung.com reporter, 3code@hankyung.com