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Iran has firmly rejected the possibility of transferring its enriched uranium to the United States, calling such demands “unacceptable,” according to Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh in an interview with Associated Press.
“I can say that no enriched material will be handed over to the United States. This is unacceptable for us. We are ready to discuss any concerns, but we will not agree to what we consider unacceptable,” he stated.
Khatibzadeh’s remarks came in response to claims by Donald Trump, who recently suggested that the U.S. could enter Iran and remove what he referred to as “nuclear dust” — approximately 970 pounds (440 kilograms) of enriched uranium believed to be stored beneath nuclear facilities damaged in last year’s strikes.
The Iranian official noted that there has been extensive back-and-forth communication between the two sides but accused Washington of continuing to push demands that Tehran considers excessive. He added that direct, face-to-face talks have not yet begun because the U.S. has not softened its position.
According to Khatibzadeh, Iran prefers to first agree on a general framework before moving to direct negotiations. While he did not disclose specific details or remaining points of contention, he emphasized that Washington must address Tehran’s key concerns — particularly sanctions imposed on Iran.
“The other side must take our main concerns into account. These are primarily the illegal unilateral sanctions imposed by the United States. We also see them as economic pressure on our people, aimed at weakening them and provoking internal unrest,” he said.
Meanwhile, Trump has claimed that Iran had agreed to indefinitely suspend its nuclear program and suggested in an interview with Bloomberg that a long-term agreement could be reached as early as this weekend, noting that most key issues had already been resolved.
Later, Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf accused Trump of making multiple false statements regarding both the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s uranium reserves. In a post on X, he said the U.S. president made seven incorrect claims within a single hour and argued that such rhetoric had failed during the conflict and would not succeed in negotiations.
