Trump Says No Iran Sanctions Relief Even if It Gives Up Highly Enriched Uranium

President Donald Trump said the U.S. would not ease economic sanctions on Iran even if Tehran gives up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

In a phone interview with PBS on May 27, Trump was asked whether the current talks involve trading sanctions relief for Iran's abandonment of highly enriched uranium. "No. Not at all. There is no sanctions relief," he said.

Trump also rejected any plan for China or Russia to take possession of Iran's 440 kilograms of highly enriched uranium, saying that would be "uncomfortable." His remarks suggest Washington would not permit the material to be transferred to countries such as Russia, which maintains relatively close ties with Iran.

The two countries, meanwhile, continued localized clashes. The U.S. military carried out an airstrike on an Iranian military facility and shot down four Iranian attack drones that day, saying they threatened navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and posed a risk to U.S. forces. Iran's Revolutionary Guard said it had retaliated by attacking a U.S. base in the Gulf region.

Park Shin-young, New York correspondent, Korea Economic Daily, nyusos@hankyung.com