Trump says he’s OK with Iran suspending nuke enrichment for 20 years if there’s ‘real’ guarantee

President appears to back away from long-time demand for total end to enrichment and his pledge to ensure Iran never attains nuclear weapons; Iranian FM says Tehran has ‘no trust’ in US

US President Donald Trump said Friday that he would accept a 20-year suspension of the uranium enrichment at the heart of Iran’s rogue nuclear program if Tehran gave a “real” guarantee, in an apparent shift from his previous demand that Iran permanently halt its program and his pledge to ensure Iran can never attain nuclear weapons.

Trump made the comment when speaking with reporters on Air Force One as he departed China following his two-day summit with President Xi Jinping.

Asked whether he had “rejected the latest proposal from Iran,” he replied, “Well, I looked at it, and if I don’t like the first sentence, I just throw it away.”

Pressed on what that first sentence stated, Trump said, “An unacceptable sentence, because they have fully agreed no nuclear. And if they have any nuclear of any form [in their proposal], I don’t read the rest of…”

The reporter interrupted, “So 20 years is not enough for you, it’s gotta be a permanent…?”

Trump cut in: “No, 20 years is enough, but the level of guarantee from them, in other words, it’s gotta be a real 20 years…”

The president went on to complain that Iran has also now said it cannot remove its nuclear “dust,” referring to the regime’s underground stockpile of 440 kilograms of highly enriched uranium: “They said that they can’t remove it, because they don’t have the technology to remove it, they don’t have the type of tractors” and that only China and the US have the technology to remove it from the “obliterated” nuclear facilities. He said Iran had agreed to have the stockpile removed, but then reneged.

Shifting position

Until recently, Trump has demanded that Iran agree to permanently cease all enrichment, and commit to never seeking nuclear weapons, declaring that he didn’t want to pass the problem off to a future president. “WE WILL NOT ALLOW ANY ENRICHMENT OF URANIUM,” he declared last June.

A month earlier, his key negotiator Steve Witkoff said Iran must give up all enrichment of nuclear fuel in any deal “because enrichment enables weaponization, and we will not allow a bomb to get here.” And in April of this year, Trump said the terms of the deal he was advancing with Iran would ensure “no enrichment of uranium.”

Days later, however, US Vice President JD Vance was reported to have proposed a 20-year halt to enrichment during talks in Pakistan, to which Iran responded with an offer of a five-year halt, which Trump rejected. Trump distanced himself from that offer on April 14, however, telling the New York Post: “I’ve been saying they can’t have nuclear weapons. So I don’t like the 20 years… I don’t want them [Tehran] to feel like they have a win.”

Reports last week indicated that the US was still proposing a 20-year halt, and that Iran was countering with an unspecified shorter period while also rejecting dismantling its nuclear facilities. Trump’s comments on Friday appeared to confirm that he does now stand behind the proposal for a 20-year moratorium, and that Iran has rejected this.

While Trump on Friday gave no further details on what the suspension would entail, the 20-year “guarantee” appears to mirror the much-maligned “sunset clause” in the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran that would have allowed Tehran to enrich unlimited amounts of uranium once the deal elapsed.

Trump pulled the US out of that agreement in 2018, calling the sunset clause “totally unacceptable” and saying that it would spark a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.

In March, Witkoff said Iran’s negotiators had bragged to him that they had amassed enough 60%-enriched uranium for 11 bombs. The Iranian negotiators “were proud that they had evaded all sorts of oversight protocols to get to a place where they could deliver 11 nuclear bombs,” he said.

Witkoff said the Iranian negotiators insisted on “an inalienable right” to enrich their nuclear fuel. “We responded that the president feels we have the inalienable right to stop you dead in your tracks.”

However, Trump on Friday also said his patience with Iran was running out and that he had agreed in talks with Xi that Tehran could not be allowed to have a nuclear weapon and must reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Tehran denies seeking nuclear weapons, but it has enriched uranium to levels that have no peaceful application, obstructed international inspectors from checking its nuclear facilities, and expanded its ballistic missile capabilities.

Washington and Tehran announced a ceasefire last month but have been struggling to thrash out a lasting peace pact. Talks mediated by Pakistan have been suspended since Iran and the US each rejected the other’s latest proposals last week.

Israel, which launched the military campaign against Iran jointly with the US six weeks ago, is not represented at the talks. Host Pakistan has no diplomatic ties with Israel and does not recognize its sovereignty.

The ceasefire declared by Trump in April came with core declared goals of the war unfulfilled, including ensuring that Iran does not attain nuclear weapons, destroying its missile program, and creating the conditions for the Iranian public to overthrow the regime.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump also said he discussed lifting sanctions on Chinese companies that buy Iranian oil during his visit to Beijing and will make a decision soon.

The US recently imposed sanctions on several Chinese oil refiners for buying Iranian oil, including Hengli Petrochemical 600346.SS, one of the country’s largest private refiners and a symbol of Beijing’s drive to modernize and upgrade the industry.

“We talked about that and I’m going to make a decision over the next few days,” Trump said.

US officials, including Trump, raised the possibility of China buying more American energy over the course of the summit, although Chinese readouts of the meeting made no mention of any deals.

‘No trust’

While Trump indicated there was flexibility in the US position, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that Tehran has “no trust” in the US and would only be interested in negotiating with Washington if it was serious.

Araghchi told reporters in New Delhi that “contradictory messages” had raised Iranian doubts about the Americans’ real intentions, adding that the Pakistani mediation process had not failed but was in “difficulty.”

Iran is trying to keep the latest ceasefire to give diplomacy a chance, but is also prepared to go back to fighting, Araghchi said.

“What was said that the United States rejected Iran’s proposal or Iran’s response to the American proposal was a few days ago, when Mr. Trump tweeted and said that it was unacceptable,” Araghchi said.

“But after that, we received messages again from the Americans saying that they are willing to continue the talks and continue the interaction.”

The issues holding up negotiations between the two sides include Iran’s nuclear ambitions and its control of ⁠the Strait of Hormuz.

With regard to Hormuz, Araghchi claimed all vessels can pass through the Strait of Hormuz except those “at war” with Tehran, if they coordinate with Iran’s navy.

But the situation around the waterway, vital to global energy and commodities markets, was “very complicated,” he added, during a visit to attend a BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting in India.

Iran effectively shut the strait, which normally handles about one-fifth of the world’s seaborne oil and gas supply, to most shipping after the US and Israel began their war on Iran in February.

On Thursday, a ship anchored off the east coast of the United Arab Emirates was seized and was heading toward Iranian waters, the British military said, while India said a cargo ship was sunk amid the battle over the strait.

Asked if Tehran was open to mediation by Beijing, Araghchi said Friday Iran appreciated the efforts of any country that had the ability to help.

“We have very good relations with China,” he said. “We are strategic partners, and we know that the Chinese have good intentions. So, anything they can do to help diplomacy would be welcomed.”

Araghchi added: “We hope that, with the advancement of negotiations, we will reach a good conclusion so that the Strait of Hormuz can be completely secured and we can expedite the normalisation of traffic through the strait.”

BRICS ministers fail to issue joint statement over Mideast conflict

The two-day BRICS meeting concluded without a joint statement because of “differing views among some members” on the situation in the Middle East, host India said.

The differences highlighted the challenge of maintaining unity within the bloc as it seeks to expand its influence.

The Indian statement said members expressed “their respective national positions and shared a range of perspectives” on issues including sovereignty, maritime security, and the protection of civilian infrastructure and civilian lives in the Middle East.

It also included a footnote saying that “a member had reservations” about parts of sections dealing with Gaza and security in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

BRICS includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Ethiopia, Egypt, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia.

Divisions among members have become more visible during the Iran war, particularly between Iran and the UAE — which Iran repeatedly attacked with missiles and drones throughout the war.

Araghchi on Thursday urged BRICS nations to condemn the US and Israel over what he described as their “unlawful aggression.” He also called on member states to resist what he said was the politicization of international institutions.