U.S. President Trump vows to destroy Iranian uranium with or without deal

US President Donald Trump said Washington would ensure the destruction of Iran's enriched uranium regardless of whether a diplomatic agreement is reached.

"We'll take it out and destroy it, whether it's on-site or whether we take it off-site," Trump told NBC News in an interview aired Sunday.

He added that the US would act "with them, or without them."

Trump said the US would remove Iran's enriched uranium "militarily, very harshly" if no agreement is reached, adding: "We won't have people shooting at us" if the two sides "go together."

The US president asserted that Space Force technology is currently monitoring the approximately 1,000 pounds (453.6 kilograms) of enriched uranium trapped under the rubble of previously targeted sites. "If anybody walked there, if you walked over there, I would be able to read your first name on your lapel," he said.

Regarding the ongoing peace talks, Trump noted the sides are "very close" to a pact, but he demanded an additional clause to prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon through any means.

He insisted the deal must stipulate that Iran cannot "buy, purchase or acquire" nuclear assets from other sources. He said that Tehran pushed back "a little bit" on this demand.

- New leadership and assets

Trump also claimed there was a "good probability" that he knew the location of Iran's "very seriously injured" Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.

Trump described the new Iranian leadership under Mojtaba Khamenei as "more rational" and "very smart," noting that the leader is "part of" the approval process for a deal.

The US president clarified that any agreement would not result in an immediate unfreezing of Iranian assets, stating that such a move would only occur "after" a period of good behavior. "If they behave, if they do a good job, we start talking," Trump said.

Speaking about US troops in the Middle East, the president said it would be "foolhardy" to withdraw them before a "completion" of negotiations.