President Donald Trump laid out two paths forward on Iran's nuclear arsenal in an NBC News interview: a collaborative uranium removal effort if peace negotiations succeed, or a unilateral military operation to degrade Iran's defenses enough for American forces to extract the material themselves.
Speaking on "Meet the Press," Trump said the outcome hinges on whether the U.S. and Iran reach a deal to end their three-month conflict. "If we make a deal that now we're friendly, we'll all go together. It'll be our equipment. We'll take it out and destroy it, whether it's on-site or whether we take it off-site," he said. The alternative, he suggested, is more punitive. "If we don't make a deal, then we're going to take them out militarily very harshly. And we'll wait till we do that before we go, in which case we'll have safety either way."
Trump cast monitoring Iran's nuclear sites as a solved technical problem, citing space-based surveillance capabilities developed by his Space Force. "You know, we have cameras on it, all over it. If anybody walked there, if you walked over there, I would be able to read your first name on your lapel," he told moderator Kristen Welker. "And these are cameras up in space. It's pretty amazing technology."
In his most expansive remarks yet on the status of negotiations, Trump indicated the two sides are "very close" to signing a pact but acknowledged he is pushing Iran beyond its current concessions. The sticking point involves the scope of Iran's nuclear restrictions. While both sides agreed Iran will not develop nuclear weapons, Trump insisted on additional language barring Iran from purchasing, acquiring, or buying nuclear material from other sources.
"We have a couple of points. They don't even seem like big points," Trump said. "They've conceded the fact that they will not have nuclear weapons. We had a clause in there that [they] will not develop nuclear weapons. And everybody was very happy with it except me." He noted Iran initially resisted his demand but ultimately accepted it.
Trump credited recent strikes by Israel and the U.S., which killed former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and many senior officials, with shifting Iran's negotiating posture. He characterized the new leadership under Khamenei's son, Mojtaba Khamenei, as "more rational, very smart" compared to his father's regime. The younger Khamenei, who has not been seen publicly since the war began, is involved in approving any deal, Trump said.
"Younger. I think more rational," Trump said of Mojtaba Khamenei. "Injured. He's pretty badly injured. So there's a certain bravery there. A lot of people, if they were injured that badly, they wouldn't be talking about, you know, 'How are we doing with the United States?' They'd have other things on their mind." Trump expressed openness to direct talks with the new supreme leader but said such contact has not yet occurred.
On the question of whether he knows Mojtaba Khamenei's location, Trump was coy. "I don't want to say whether or not I know where he is. But there's a good probability that I do," he said.
Trump said he has no immediate plans to withdraw the 50,000 U.S. troops currently deployed to the region, describing the cost of their presence as minimal. He argued their continued deployment could leverage Iran at the negotiating table and serves American economic interests by potentially reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint through which roughly 20 percent of global oil flows. A shutdown of that waterway has contributed to elevated fuel prices at American pumps.
"It costs us very little to keep them there," Trump said. "I would say it would be foolhardy to do that because maybe we may use them. It's unlikely. But I think we'll keep them there until such time as we have a completion." He predicted that once the conflict ends, oil prices would plummet, delivering relief to consumers and the farming industry.
Trump assessed Iran's military as severely degraded, claiming it retains only about 21 to 22 percent of its pre-war missile stockpile. Despite this weakness, he argued maintaining U.S. troop levels ensures American leverage. "Look, we have totally destroyed their military. They have some missiles left. They have some drones left," he said.
He blamed his predecessors for allowing Iran to develop nuclear capabilities in the first place. Trump tore up the 2015 nuclear agreement negotiated under President Barack Obama during his first term and vowed a replacement with tougher terms. When pressed on why he failed to secure a new deal while in office, Trump said the timing was not right and suggested the current situation is "much better." He also criticized Obama for authorizing a $400 million reimbursement to Iran shortly after the original deal was finalized.
Public appetite for ending the conflict is strong, with recent polling showing 68 percent of adults support reaching a deal "as quickly as possible." Trump campaigned in 2024 partly on the claim that his first term saw "no new wars." He suggested Americans need patience as Iran reverses course on a 47-year stance toward the U.S. "Because they're strong. They're proud," he said. "There are things they never thought they'd be doing that they're going to have to do. They've got no choice. And it takes a little while."
Any deal will not unfreeze Iranian assets immediately, Trump made clear. "That comes after," he said. "Yeah, if they behave, if they do a good job, we start talking." He emphasized the core objective remains unchanged: preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. "But the main thing is we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon," Trump said. "Can't do it. And we won't do it."
Author Sarah Mitchell: "Trump is essentially betting that either deal-making or military dominance will solve the uranium problem, but the gap between his optimism and the messiness of nuclear diplomacy remains wide."
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