US President Donald Trump claimed on Thursday that Iran has agreed to hand over its store of enriched uranium, describing the two sides as “close” to a peace deal that would end the war engulfing the Middle East since late February.
“They’ve agreed to give us back the nuclear dust,” Trump told reporters, using his term for the enriched uranium stockpile that Washington says could be used to build nuclear weapons.
The claim comes amid intensive diplomatic activity. Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir was shown on Iranian state television meeting parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who led Iran’s delegation at the first round of talks in Islamabad that ended without a deal. Iran’s UN ambassador said Tehran was “cautiously optimistic” about ongoing negotiations.
Trump’s statement follows Iran’s earlier signal that the level of enrichment was “negotiable,” and Russia’s offer to store Iran’s enriched material — both of which suggested movement on the nuclear question.
The US has reportedly sought a 20-year suspension of Iran’s uranium enrichment programme, while Tehran has proposed five years — an offer Washington rejected. Iran insists its enrichment is for civilian purposes.
On the same day, Trump announced that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to a 10-day ceasefire and said he expected both countries’ leaders at the White House within days. He also indicated he would consider travelling to Pakistan to sign a final agreement.
US Defence Secretary Hegseth warned that “if Iran chooses poorly, they will have a blockade and bombs dropping on infrastructure.” The US House of Representatives separately rejected a Democratic effort to curb Trump’s authority to wage war in Iran.
Iran’s foreign ministry maintained that its right to enrich uranium is “indisputable,” leaving the final terms of any deal uncertain.
