Trump Says US Will Extract Iran's Uranium At 'Leisurely Pace', Rules Out Ground Operation

Last Updated:April 18, 2026, 10:55 IST

Trump has repeatedly stressed that the US would recover Iran's stockpiles of enriched uranium, which Tehran insists is strictly for peaceful civilian use.

US President Donald Trump said the United States will work with Iran to recover its enriched uranium and bring ​it back to the United States, ahead of a second round of talks on Monday after Tehran temporarily reopened the Strait of Hormuz, raising hopes for a deal to end the war. Follow Live Updates

“We’re going to get it together. We’re going to go in with Iran, at a nice leisurely pace, and go down and start excavating with big machinery. We’ll bring it back to the United States," he told Reuters in a phone interview.

Trump in recent times has repeatedly stressed that the US would recover Iran’s stockpiles of enriched uranium, which Tehran insists is strictly for peaceful civilian use. Iran is believed to possess more than 900 pounds of uranium enriched ​up to 60% purity.

Trump Rules Out Boots On Ground

However, the US president ruled out the involvement of ground troops in the process of extracting the uranium stockpiles from Iran. When asked who would recover the stocks from the US side, he only mentioned “our people."

“No. No troops. We’ll go down and get it with them, and then we’ll take it," he told CBS News. “"We’ll be getting it together because by that time, we’ll have an agreement and there’s no need for fighting when there’s an agreement. Nice right? That’s better. We would have done it the other way if we had to."

Iran has denied agreeing to ​transfer its enriched uranium to the United States. “Iran’s enriched uranium is not ⁠going to be transferred anywhere; transferring uranium to the United States has not been ​an option for us," said Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghael.

Will US Release Frozen Funds?

According to a report by Axios, the United States had been considering a proposal to release up to $20 billion in frozen Iranian funds in exchange for Iran giving up its stockpile of enriched uranium. The proposal is part of ongoing negotiations aimed at easing tensions and moving towards a broader agreement between the US and Iran.

However, Trump denied the report, saying, “It’s totally false. No money is changing ​hands."

The United States’ position is that even if Iran does not currently possess a nuclear weapon, its existing stockpile and capabilities could enable it to develop one. However, Iran has consistently maintained that its nuclear programme is aimed at peaceful purposes, particularly energy generation.

Washington had earlier proposed a 20-year freeze on Iran’s uranium enrichment in its proposal, but Tehran had said it could only agree to do it for five years, according to reports by The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.

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