The United States could seize Iran’s uranium stockpile if it wanted to, US President Donald Trump has claimed, while also calling such a move “unreasonable.” Speaking to reporters at the White House in Washington on 4 June, Trump said: “Seizing Iran’s uranium stockpile is not a hard thing. We could take it if we wanted to. If we moved to take that stockpile, I don’t think they could stop us. But that would be unreasonable. I don’t think we have any need to take such a step.”
Iran’s uranium is the main source of tension between Tehran and Washington. According to the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran holds 400 kg of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity; if the purity is raised to 90 percent, Iran could build one nuclear bomb after another. The United States alleges that Iran has continued enriching uranium to build a bomb under cover of a nuclear programme, while Iran has repeatedly rejected the allegation, saying its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes. The whereabouts of Iran’s 400 kg of enriched uranium remain a mystery. The United States wants Tehran to hand the material over to Washington — seizing it is a major reason for the military operation it began in Iran on 28 February.
At the White House, reporters also asked Trump about meeting Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, and whether he had any objection to such a meeting. Trump replied: “I am not eager to seek out a meeting myself, but if a meeting ever happens I would feel honoured.” He added: “If we can reach a peace agreement with Iran, there is a chance I will meet him. In that case I am willing — at least there is no objection on my part.”
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report