Arizona [US], April 18 : US President Donald Trump on Friday (local time) reiterated that the United States will take enriched uranium from Iran as part of ongoing negotiations, even as Tehran strongly denied any agreement to transfer nuclear material.
While speaking at the Turning Point USA event here, Trump said the operation would be carried out jointly with lots of excavators.
"We're going to get it by going in with Iran, with lots of excavators. We need the biggest excavators you can imagine. But we're going in together with Iran, we're going to get it, and we're going to take it back home to the USA."
Earlier, Trump also referred to nuclear-related developments, saying, "The USA will get all nuclear dust...That white powdery substance created by our B-2 bombers, those great B-2 bombers, late one evening, seven months ago. No money will exchange hands in any way or form...Iran, with the help of the USA, has removed or is removing all of the sea mines...They will never have a nuclear weapon"
The remarks came shortly after Iran rejected US claims that it had agreed to transfer its enriched uranium to the United States.
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran would not allow such a move under any circumstances. "Enriched uranium is as sacred to us as Iranian soil and will not be transferred anywhere under any circumstances," he was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency, according to Al Jazeera.
The comments follow Trump's earlier assertion that Iran had "agreed to everything" in talks with Washington, including joint removal of enriched uranium. He also said there were no remaining "sticking points" in negotiations and expressed confidence that a deal could be reached soon.
Trump further claimed Iran had agreed to stop supporting groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas, and said US discussions with Tehran would continue over the weekend, with a possible agreement expected soon.
Iran, however, pushed back against US statements, also criticising Washington's position on maritime security. Baghaei said US remarks on the Strait of Hormuz reflected "desperation and helplessness" and dismissed them as inconsistent.
"We should not be influenced by the other side's tweets," he said. "The statements by American officials are filled with contradictions and lies, and this is nothing new."
He added that decisions regarding the strategic waterway are made on the ground, not online. "The opening or closing of the Strait of Hormuz does not happen on social media, but on the ground," he said.
The exchange comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran, even as diplomatic engagements continue over Iran's nuclear programme and regional security issues.
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