Iran Rejects U.S. Demand To Hand Over Enriched Uranium, Trump Says It No Longer Concerns Him

Iran rejected U.S. demands to hand over its enriched uranium, with Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei labeling the demands as non-starters.

“Analysis by CNN colleague Zachary Wolf”

CNN Arabic

The dispute is tied to negotiations over uranium enrichment and stockpiles, with the Crypto Briefing stating Iran agreed to end enrichment of uranium by December 31 and to surrender enriched uranium stockpile by December 31, 2026.

CNN Arabic

In parallel, U.S. President Donald Trump told Reuters that the fate of about 440 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent “no longer concerns him,” adding that the matter will be monitored from space.

The Sky News Arabia report also said Trump described the Iranian nuclear problem as solved and said Tehran will not be able to possess a nuclear weapon because they are not able to do so right now.

Axios reported that the United States and Iran were negotiating a three-page plan to end the war, and that one discussion point was Washington releasing $20 billion of frozen Iranian assets in exchange for Tehran handing over its stockpile of enriched uranium.

The Iran International report said Trump wrote on Truth Social that Iran “agreed that it will not close the Strait of Hormuz again ever,” while it also described Iranian officials reiterating that Iran will not abandon Lebanon and Hezbollah.

Crypto Briefing

In the same reporting stream, Trump said the United States could move directly to seize Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium if Tehran refused to hand it over voluntarily, adding that “we will likely seize the uranium.”

CNN Arabic’s analysis by Zachary Wolf framed the current push for a deal as a contrast with the 2015 nuclear agreement, quoting Trump at a Cabinet meeting on March 26: 'Barack Hussein Obama — what he did, by giving them the nuclear deal with Iran, gave them the freedom to choose to own a nuclear weapon.'

The stakes in the negotiations include the size and enrichment level of Iran’s uranium stockpiles, with the Al Jazeera report citing International Atomic Energy Agency estimates that Iran has more than 400 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60%.

Al Jazeera also reported Trump saying, “We will obtain highly enriched Iranian uranium and it is likely that we will destroy it,” while adding that Washington will not allow Iran to keep this stockpile.

The Reuters-linked Yalibnan live update said Iran’s peace negotiations with the United States face “deep and significant” differences and it’s difficult to say if a deal can be reached over the next “weeks or months.”

Yalibnan further described Pakistan’s mediation context through the arrival of Pakistan’s powerful military chief, Asim Munir, in Tehran with a high-level security delegation as negotiators try to narrow wide gaps between the U.S. and Iran on a deal.