President Donald Trump said Thursday that Iran had agreed to hand over its stockpile of enriched uranium, a claim he tied to a deal he said could end six weeks of conflict. Trump said the next round of talks between the United States and Iran could take place as soon as this weekend, just days before the current ceasefire expires next week.
“They’ve agreed to give us back the nuclear dust,” Trump said, adding, “There’s a very good chance we’re going to make a deal.” He also said, “I’m not sure it needs to be extended,” referring to the truce, but warned, “If there’s no deal, fighting resumes.”
The exchange lands after last weekend’s talks, when Washington proposed a 20-year suspension of all nuclear activity by Iran and Tehran countered with a halt of three to five years, according to. Iran’s nuclear ambitions were the central sticking point. Washington has pressed for any highly enriched uranium to be removed from Iran, while Tehran has demanded that international sanctions against it be lifted.
Two Iranian sources said Tehran was considering shipping part, but not all, of its highly enriched uranium stockpile out of the country, suggesting the outlines of a compromise were beginning to take shape. Trump’s comments on Thursday went further than that, casting the two sides as close to a deal without saying whether the remaining gaps had been closed.
Trump also said he may personally attend if an agreement is finalized in Islamabad, praising Pakistani Prime Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistani Army Gen. Asim Munir for helping mediate the talks. “If the deal is signed in Islamabad, I might go,” he said. “The field marshal has been great. The prime minister has been really great in Pakistan, so I might go. They want me.”
The stakes remain stark. Trump said, “The Pope has to understand – it’s very simple – Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. The world would be in great danger.” If the ceasefire ends without a deal, the region could slide back into the fighting both sides are trying to avoid, with the next round of diplomacy now the decisive test.