Iran has agreed to hand over its stockpile of enriched uranium, Donald Trump has claimed, saying the US is “close” to a peace deal to end the war.
“They’ve agreed to give us back the nuclear dust,” Mr Trump told reporters outside the White House, referring to the estimated 450kg of uranium enriched to 60 per cent.
Iran has not responded to Mr Trump’s claims. What happens to the uranium stockpile has been the central sticking point in negotiations since talks collapsed in Islamabad last week.
Tehran offered to halt any further enrichment for five years, while the US insisted on a 20-year freeze. Iranian scientists had enriched uranium to near weapons-grade before the war.
“We’re going to see what happens. But I think we’re very close to making a deal with Iran,” Mr Trump said, adding that another round of talks could happen as soon as this weekend.
He said that if an agreement was reached in Islamabad, he might travel to Pakistan for the signing.
Tehran had offered to halt any further enrichment for five years, while the US insisted on a 20-year freeze – Getty Images
The technical challenge of retrieving Iran’s enriched uranium remains unresolved. Much of the material lies buried under nuclear facilities at the Natanz and Fordow sites, which were damaged during the US-Israeli air campaign last year.
Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, said the US would take the stockpile “by other means” if Iran did not hand it over voluntarily.
Russia proposed taking custody of Iran’s enriched uranium as a diplomatic solution, but Washington rejected the offer, Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said.
Mr Peskov said Vladimir Putin had put forward the proposal “some time ago” and described it as “a very good solution” that remained available.
The uranium question deadlocked negotiations in Islamabad last week when a 71-member Iranian delegation met US officials.
The talks, which lasted 21 hours, marked the first time that Iran’s government could gather safely in six weeks, with American and Israeli bombs having prevented Iran’s fragmented command structure from meeting.
Strikes on Iran have left 99,878 residential and commercial units in ruins – Majid Saeedi/Getty Images
Iran’s government estimates $270bn (£200bn) worth of damage following 40 days of strikes, which destroyed one-third of its steel production capacity, damaged petrochemical complexes and left 99,878 residential and commercial units in ruins.
Iranian media calculated that the war inflicted damage equivalent to 26 years of oil sanctions.
Fatemeh Mohajerani, a government spokesman, said final damage costs “would likely be higher” than initial estimates.
Meanwhile, regional powers are attempting to broker solutions. The foreign ministers of Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia plan to meet in Antalya, Turkey, to discuss the war.
Mr Trump has brokered a separate 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, which took effect at midnight on Thursday.
By Friday morning, that truce appeared under strain as Lebanon’s army accused Israel of “several attacks” violating the agreement.
Lebanese military officials reported “a number of violations”, with intermittent shelling of villages in the south of the country. Israel has not confirmed any assaults on Lebanese territory.
Avichay Adraee, an Israel Defense Forces spokesman, said Israeli troops would remain in Lebanon during the ceasefire and warned southern Lebanese residents not to move south of the Litani river.
Israel said it was ready to respond to any attacks from Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militia included in the 10-day truce.
Mr Trump posted on Truth Social that he hoped that Hezbollah would act “nicely and well” during the ceasefire.
Lebanese officials warned citizens in the south that ceasefire violations meant it might not be safe to return home, even as displaced residents began travelling back hours after the truce was announced.
Many found their homes destroyed or uninhabitable and were hesitant to ​stay for fear that the ceasefire could unravel.
Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan’s prime minister, welcomed the Lebanon ceasefire, crediting Mr Trump’s diplomatic efforts and expressing hope that it would “pave the way for sustainable peace”.
The 10-day ceasefire began as Esmail Qaani, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force commander, broke weeks of public silence to claim credit for the truce.
“If a ceasefire is implemented, it is the result of the steadfast resistance of Lebanon and the support of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Mr Qaani said.
Iran also announced that it would cancel the annual Army Day parade, scheduled for April 18, with Mohammad Akraminia, a military spokesman, saying the current ceasefire “has little difference from wartime conditions for us”.
The ceasefire extension depends partly on progress in Iran-US talks. Iranian officials have not set a date for the next negotiating round, saying “the ball is in America’s court”, according to state media.