US Warns It Will ‘Take Out’ Iran’s Enriched Uranium, Hegseth Says

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Iran must hand over its enriched uranium or face further action from Washington. Make us preferred on Google Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on April 8, 2026. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP) Content Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied Flip Make us preferred on Google Iran must hand over its enriched uranium to the United States or Washington will “take it out,” US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday, April 9. According to The Guardian , Hegseth said the United States expected compliance from what he described as a “new Iranian regime,” adding that relations with Tehran had shifted. Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official . He said he hoped the recently announced ceasefire would hold and confirmed that the Strait of Hormuz was open, allowing commercial traffic to resume. Iran and the US agreed to a two-week ceasefire just hours before US President Donald Trump’s deadline – with oil prices dropping instantly. But as with examples in Ukraine, announcing a ceasefire and actually observing one are two different things – Tehran is already criticizing Israel’s continued strikes on Lebanon , while Israel says Hezbollah wasn’t part of the deal. Couple that with a series of strikes reported across the Gulf , and the ceasefire hasn’t seemed to materialize. By Wednesday evening, Tehran had reportedly closed the strait yet again due to the strikes in Lebanon. The peace terms under negotiation are also unclear – Iran submitted a maximalist 10-point proposal that supposedly agrees to reopen the Strait of Hormuz – likely for a fee on every ship – that the US says is “workable,” while provisions on uranium enrichment were reportedly present in the Farsi version but not the English one. Other Topics of Interest Iran’s Envoy Deletes Post on Delegation Arrival in Islamabad for US Talks The White House has said Vice President JD Vance would lead US negotiations over the Middle East war in Islamabad “this weekend”. Trump has also lashed out at CNN’s reporting on Iran’s declaration of victory, calling it “fake news.” CNN stood firm and said it reported exactly what the Iranians said. Yuliia Zavadska is a news writer at Kyiv Post. She has experience in breaking news coverage, fact-checking, and digital journalism, with a focus on fast, accurate reporting and clear storytelling. Before joining Kyiv Post, she worked as a news feed editor for several leading Ukrainian media outlets.