Iran on Friday firmly denied that it would hand over its enriched uranium stockpile, directly contradicting statements by President Donald Trump, who said Tehran had agreed to cooperate with the United States on removing the material.

Speaking to Iranian state media, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the idea of transferring uranium out of the country is not under consideration, stating that “the transfer of uranium to the US has not been presented as an option.”

He emphasized the significance Iran places on its nuclear material, declaring, “Iran’s enriched uranium is as sacred to us as the soil of Iran and will under no circumstances be transferred anywhere.”

Addressing the ongoing negotiations with Washington, Baghaei said sanctions relief remains a central objective, noting that “the lifting of sanctions is of great importance to us, compensation for the damages incurred is a particular priority for Iran.”

Earlier Friday, Trump told CBS News that Iran had accepted U.S. terms and would work jointly with American officials to remove its enriched uranium from the country.

He stressed that the operation would not involve U.S. troops on the ground and, when asked who would retrieve the material, replied only that it would be handled by “our people.”

“No. No troops,” he said. “We’ll go down and get it with them, and then we’ll take it. We’ll be getting it together because by that time, we’ll have an agreement and there’s no need for fighting when there’s an agreement. Nice right? That’s better. We would have done it the other way if we had to.”

Trump also said the material would ultimately be transported to the United States.

“Our people, together with the Iranians, are going to work together to go get it. And then we’ll take it to the United States,” he said.

He also rejected an earlier Axios report suggesting that the administration was considering releasing $20 billion in frozen Iranian assets as part of a deal.

“No, we are not paying 10 cents,” he said firmly.

A day earlier, Trump indicated that the conflict with Iran could soon come to a close.

“We’re doing very well, and I will say the war in Iran is going along swimmingly, we can do whatever we want, and it should be ending pretty soon,” the President stated at an event in Las Vegas.

“It was perfect. It’s perfect. It was the power we have,” the President added. “We had the most powerful military anywhere in the world.”

He acknowledged that while military action was not his preference, it was necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

“We had to because we can’t let them have a nuclear weapon. Can’t let them have a nuclear weapon.”