Trump: Wants Iran's Uranium Primarily for 'Public Relations'
US President Donald Trump said the US goal of retrieving highly enriched uranium from Iran is "more for public relations than anything else," while insisting he still wants the nuclear material removed. The remarks came in an interview with Fox News that aired Thursday night.
Trump said the uranium recovery mission—believed to be buried under the rubble of a bombed nuclear site—could actually be considered less urgent because of the US's extensive surveillance. He said the US had set up nine cameras connecting three locations around the clock and stated that no one was going near the material.
However, Trump emphasized that he would "feel better" if the material was completely controlled and removed from Iran. He also left open the possibility of bombing the site again to ensure it was inaccessible.
The status of the nuclear material has been cited as one of the most sensitive points in US talks with the Iranian leadership to end the war. Trump described the negotiations as a "tug-of-war," with Iran initially agreeing to deliver the material and then withdrawing it later in the talks.
The ongoing war—which has disrupted energy flows in the Middle East and driven up global prices—was part of Trump's discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday. Trump said China reiterated its desire for traffic in the Strait of Hormuz to resume without tariffs, and the two leaders agreed that Iran should not acquire nuclear weapons.
However, it is unclear whether Beijing will pressure Tehran to agree to the agreement. Trump said Xi offered assistance if needed, while China has not commented specifically beyond saying the two leaders discussed the situation in the Middle East. Israel, which has supported the bombing campaign against Iran, has made the issue a key condition for ending the conflict; Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been involved.
The uranium issue and Trump's hints of a possible re-attack tend to maintain geopolitical risk premiums, especially if negotiations stall again. For oil, escalation or Iran-related issues typically support prices as markets assess the risk of supply disruptions in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz as still high. For gold, geopolitical tensions can provide safe-haven support, but upside room could remain limited if the dollar and US yields strengthen as markets anticipate prolonged high interest rates due to energy inflation pressures. For the dollar, the combination of risk-off and energy-driven inflation generally supports the greenback through safe-haven flows and interest rate repricing, although sensitivity will depend on whether the market views escalating risks as a threat to global growth or as a trigger for further inflation. (asd)
Source: Newsmaker.id
