US to extract Iranian enriched uranium using excavators — Trump

The claim that the United States would use excavators to extract Iranian enriched uranium and bring it to the US, as attributed to President Trump, is widely recognized as a misattribution or fabricated statement. While Trump's administration pursued a hawkish stance on Iran nuclear ambitions and withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), no credible reports or official statements suggest he ever made such a physically implausible claim regarding the handling of nuclear materials. This specific assertion is problematic for two key reasons: first, enriched uranium is a processed material, not raw ore, and its handling involves highly specialized, secure facilities designed to prevent radiation exposure and proliferation, not heavy machinery like excavators. Second, the underlying tension between the US and Iran over nuclear capabilities remains a critical geopolitical flashpoint, with Washington consistently aiming to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons through various means, including sanctions and diplomatic pressure, particularly after the US withdrawal from the JCPOA in 2018, which allowed Iran to increase its uranium enrichment activities beyond previously agreed limits.