President Donald Trump has claimed that he “doesn’t care” about Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile in a stunning reversal of his rationale for the Iran war.
The US and Israel began military action against the Islamic Republic on 28 February, killing the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and sparking chaos across the Middle East.
Mr Trump had maintained as recently as Wednesday that the key aims of the conflict were to trigger the collapse of the Iranian regime and ensure it had no nuclear capabilities.
He had previously suggested that the Iranian military was weeks away from creating a nuclear warhead aimed at the US and Israel.
The International Atomic Energy Agency believes Iran has 440kg of uranium enriched up to 60 per cent purity that is being hidden underground. However, intelligence agencies and monitors say there is no evidence to suggest Tehran is using it to build a weapon.
In a slurring address to the nation – broadcast across all US networks at the request of the White House – Mr Trump appeared to backtrack.
Asked about the uranium stockpile by the Reuters news agency on Wednesday, Mr Trump responded: “That’s so far underground, I don’t care about that.”
“We’ll always be watching it by satellite,” he added.
On Wednesday, he threatened to bomb the country into the “Stone Age” if it did not open the Strait of Hormuz.
Earlier this week, a report in The Wall Street Journal suggested that the president was considering whether to launch a high-risk military operation to seize uranium from deep inside the country.
On Sunday night, Mr Trump told reporters that Iran must do what the US demands or “they’re not going to have a country.” Asked about Iran’s uranium, he said: “They’re going to give us the nuclear dust.”
Thousands of US sailors and marines have been moved to the Middle East, sparking concerns of a ground invasion. US officials told The Washington Post that the Pentagon is preparing for ground operations that are awaiting presidential approval.
“It’s the job of the Pentagon to make preparations in order to give the commander-in-chief maximum optionality. It does not mean the president has made a decision,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
Iran is also said to have nearly 200kg of 20 per cent fissile material, which can be easily converted to 90 per cent weapons-grade.
Experts say that levels that high are not required for either nuclear reactors or medical reasons and could likely be for weapons.
In June 2025, the US and Israel said they had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear facilities in a series of strikes during the 12-day war, but it is unclear whether Tehran transferred the material prior to the attacks or if it remains underground.
IAEA director General Rafael Grossi has previously said he believes the uranium is at two of the three sites that were attacked last year, including an underground tunnel at a nuclear complex in Isfahan and a cache at Natanz.
According to expert assessments, Iran is not currently enriching uranium and had previously agreed to give up stockpiling enriched uranium as part of nuclear talks in February, according to Oman’s foreign minister, before war broke out.
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