US President Donald Trump rejected a proposal from Vladimir Putin to transfer Iran's enriched uranium to Russia, according to Axios. The offer, made during a phone call this week, was part of a broader agreement to end the conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran.
US President Donald Trump turned down an offer from his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin during a phone call this week. According to the news site Axios, the proposal involved transferring Iran's enriched uranium stockpile to Russia as part of a plan to end the war pitting Washington and Tel Aviv against Tehran. Neither the White House nor the Kremlin has commented on this information.
A US official quoted by Axios explained that the idea was not new and had been rejected before. “This isn’t the first time this offer has been made. It hasn’t been accepted. The US position is that we must ensure the supply of uranium,” he stated. He added that Trump remains open to talks, but only for favorable deals: “The president talks to everyone - Xi, Putin, the Europeans - and he’s always ready to make a deal. But it has to be a good deal. The president doesn’t make bad deals.”
This proposal echoes similar initiatives put forward by Moscow during nuclear talks in May, before US-Israeli strikes on Iranian sites in June, and in the weeks leading up to the current conflict. Iran had previously dismissed the transfer idea, favoring dilution of its uranium under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Axios reports that Iran holds about 450 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60%, a stockpile sufficient to produce more than ten nuclear bombs. Neutralizing or capturing this reserve is a key objective for the United States and Israel. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth mentioned several options, including voluntary handover by Tehran, during a press conference on Friday. “They weren’t willing to do it during the negotiations. I’ll never tell this group or the world what we’re prepared to do or how far we’re prepared to go, but we have options, that’s for sure,” he said. Discussions on sending special forces to secure the nuclear arsenal have also been reported. Trump, speaking to Fox News Radio, downplayed the urgency: “We’re not focusing on that right now, but that could change at some point.”
