Trump softens stance on Iran's nuclear material, no longer requiring handover to US
WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump said Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile will soon be handed over to the US for destruction or destroyed at a location agreed with Tehran. Trump’s latest stance marks a softening from his previous insistence on completely removing enriched uranium from Iran.
‘The enriched uranium will soon be handed over to the United States for destruction, or better destroyed at the location,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday (25 May 2026).
Trump said the destruction process could be conducted jointly with the Islamic Republic of Iran and witnessed by the Atomic Energy Commission or equivalent bodies. The statement comes as talks to finalise a ceasefire agreement involving the US, Israel, and Iran are reportedly nearing completion.
Earlier on Monday, Pakistan’s Army Chief General Asim Munir said the Iran-US deal was ‘nearly reached’ during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The statement was made by Munir during his meeting with Wang in Beijing amid Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s official visit to China, according to Chinese state media reports.
China Daily, citing China’s Foreign Ministry, reported that Munir detailed Pakistan’s latest role in negotiations to ease tensions between Iran and the US. Munir visited Beijing after his trip to Tehran last week to meet Iranian leaders and discuss regional developments.
According to the report, Munir stated Pakistan is ready to ‘continue all efforts’ to help achieve an agreement between Washington and Tehran. He also expressed hope that China could play a larger role in the diplomatic process.
Last week, Iran affirmed it has no intention of relinquishing rights guaranteed by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei reiterated this on Monday (18 May 2026) in response to US statements on Iran’s uranium enrichment.
‘Right now, we are focused on ending the war. On nuclear issues, we have stressed that we have no intention of giving up our rights under the NPT,’ Baghaei told journalists.
‘We have not yet discussed nuclear details, and at this stage, all our attention is on efforts to end the war,’ he added.