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Showdown Over Stockpiles: Trump Vows "We Will Get It" After Khamenei Blocks Uranium Export
The fragile ceasefire face-off intensifies. US President Donald Trump declared the US will recover and likely destroy Iran’s near-weapons-grade uranium stockpile, delivering a direct rebuttal to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s strict order that the material must not leave Iranian soil. With peace talks on a knife-edge and naval blockades remaining firm, both sides are digging in over the ultimate fate of Tehran's nuclear capabilities.
ND
by News Desk
2026-05-22
Showdown Over Stockpiles: Trump Vows

Detailed Report

  • The White House Ultimatum: US President Donald Trump has delivered a blunt warning to Tehran, declaring that the United States will secure and likely destroy Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile "one way or the other." Speaking to reporters at the White House on Thursday, Trump firmly reiterated that Washington will never allow Iran to retain weapons-grade material or develop a nuclear weapon, stating, "We will get it. We don't need it, we don't want it. We'll probably destroy it after we get it, but we're not going to let them have it."

  • Khamenei's Absolute Refusal: The president's aggressive posture comes as a direct response to an internal directive issued by Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei. According to senior Iranian state sources, the supreme leader has ordered that the country's near-weapons-grade uranium must remain on Iranian soil, flatly rejecting a core American demand at the ongoing peace negotiations. Iranian officials reportedly believe that surrendering the stockpile would strip the country of its primary strategic deterrent and leave it entirely vulnerable to future pre-emptive airstrikes.

  • The Israeli Factor: This nuclear deadlock heavily complicates the broader Pakistan-mediated ceasefire framework that took effect on April 8. Israeli officials confirmed that President Trump has personally assured Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that any final peace accord will legally mandate the complete removal of Iran's enriched material. Netanyahu has publicly drawn a hard line, stating that Israel will not consider the war over until the uranium is removed, Iran's ballistic missile systems are dismantled, and its regional proxy funding ends.

  • The Shipping Toll Conflict: Beyond the nuclear dispute, Trump also addressed growing reports of backchannel negotiations between Iran and Oman regarding the implementation of transit tolls on commercial shipping passing through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Reaffirming absolute American naval dominance over the chokepoint, Trump rejected any potential taxation plans. "We don't want tolls. It's an international waterway," Trump asserted, noting that the ongoing shipping restrictions are already causing catastrophic financial losses for the Iranian economy.
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#BreakingNews #Geopolitics #USIran #NuclearCrisis #TrumpNews #MiddleEastAffairs #InternationalRelations
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