Trump Claims Iran Will Transfer Enriched Uranium; Tehran Rejects Transfer Anywhere

United States President Donald Trump’s announcements about securing major concessions from Tehran triggered immediate pushback inside Iran, as Iranian authorities and hardline backers rejected or clarified claims about enriched uranium and the Strait of Hormuz.

“Tehran, Iran – United States President Donald Trump’s announcements about securing major concessions from Tehran have riled supporters of the Iranian establishment, prompting rejections and clarifications from the authorities”

Al Jazeera

In a Friday post on Truth Social, Trump said, “The U.S.A. will get all Nuclear ‘Dust,’ created by our great B2 Bombers - No money will exchange hands in any way, shape, or form,” and he added that “Israel will not be bombing Lebanon any longer,” describing it as “PROHIBITED from doing so by the U.S.A.”

Al Jazeera

Trump also told CBS News in a phone interview that “No. No troops,” would be involved in removing Iran’s enriched uranium, saying, “We’ll go down and get it with them, and then we’ll take it.”

Within hours, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said in translation, “Enriched uranium is as sacred to us as Iranian soil and will not be transferred anywhere under any circumstances,” and that “transferring uranium to the United States has not been an option.”

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf posted on X that “The President of the United States made seven claims in one hour, all seven of which were false,” and urged readers to “read the real and accurate news of the negotiations” in the foreign ministry spokesman’s interview.

The dispute unfolded with days left on a two-week ceasefire reached on April 8, while Trump also emphasized that “Iran would not receive billions of dollars of its own frozen assets abroad due to US sanctions,” according to Al Jazeera’s account of his remarks.

Iran’s rejection of Trump’s uranium narrative was not limited to social media; senior Iranian diplomacy officials told reporters that Tehran would not hand over enriched uranium and said the country was not ready for a new round of face-to-face talks.

In an interview with The Associated Press on the margins of a diplomacy forum in Turkey, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh said, “I can tell you that no enriched material is going to be shipped to the United States,” and he called the idea “non-starter.”

CBS News

Khatibzadeh said Iran was still waiting for Washington to abandon “maximalist” demands, adding, “We are still not there yet to move on to an actual meeting because there are issues that the Americans have not yet abandoned their maximalist position.”

He also tied Iran’s position to sanctions, saying Washington must address “illegal unilateral sanctions that Americans have imposed on Iranians and this economic terrorism which has targeted Iranian people to suffocate them and make them revolt against the political structure inside Iran.”

Asked about renewed attacks by Israel on Lebanon despite the ceasefire, Khatibzadeh said, “Iran has no option, just to stop aggressors once and forever,” while he reiterated that the ceasefire must extend to Lebanon.

Another Iranian official, speaking to Reuters, said “no agreement has been reached on the details of the nuclear issues,” and that “serious negotiations are required to overcome differences,” while also describing keeping the Strait of Hormuz open as “conditional on US adherence to the terms of the ceasefire.”

In parallel, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told Iranian state broadcaster IRIB, “Iran’s enriched uranium is not going to be transferred anywhere; transferring uranium to the United States has not been an option,” and he added, “Iran’s enriched uranium is sacred to us like the soil of Iran.”

The uranium dispute quickly merged with a separate, fast-moving argument over the Strait of Hormuz, as Iranian statements described the waterway as restricted again while Trump claimed it would never close.

“President Trump said in a phone interview that has "agreed to everything," and will work with the U”

CBS News

Al Jazeera reported that by Saturday noon, the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) released a statement saying the Strait of Hormuz is “once again heavily restricted” and under “strict management” of the armed forces.

The IRGC statement cited continued “acts of piracy and maritime theft under the so-called label of a blockade” by Washington as the reason, framing the restriction as a response to U.S. actions.

Trump, by contrast, emphasized that the Strait of Hormuz had been opened and would “never be closed again,” while the U.S. naval blockade of Iran’s ports remained in place and sea mines were removed or in the process of being removed, according to Al Jazeera’s account of his announcements.

The Jerusalem Post described how Ghalibaf disputed Trump’s assertion that the Strait was “fully opened and ready for full passage,” and it quoted Ghalibaf saying, “with the continuation of the blockade, the Strait of Hormuz will not remain open.”

Ghalibaf also asserted that “Passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be conducted based on the ‘designated route’ and with ‘Iranian authorization,’” and he added, “Whether the Strait is open or closed and the regulations governing it will be determined by the field, not by social media.”

In the same Reuters-linked reporting cited by The Jerusalem Post, a senior Iranian official said keeping the Strait of Hormuz open is “conditional on US adherence to the terms of the ceasefire,” and that “serious negotiations are required to overcome differences.”

As Iranian officials rejected Trump’s claims, Al Jazeera described a parallel wave of anger and confusion among supporters of the Iranian establishment, including figures tied to Iran’s controlled information environment.

Ezzatollah Zarghami, a former state television chief and current member of the Supreme Cyberspace Council that controls the heavily restricted internet in Iran, wrote on X, “Is there no Muslim out there to talk to the people a bit about what is happening?!”

Crypto Briefing

Alireza Zakani, the hardline mayor of Tehran, said that if Trump’s claims were true, “the Iranian establishment must beware “not to gift the vile enemy in negotiations what it failed to achieve in the field”.”

Al Jazeera also reported that a fan account for Saeed Jalili—an ultrahardline member of the Supreme National Security Council—said “dissent” may be at play and demanded that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei release a voice or video message to confirm what is happening.

The report said Iranian state media released another written statement attributed to Khamenei on Saturday to mark Army Day, but it made no mention of the political drama unfolding hours earlier.

Al Jazeera further described dissonance on state television and other state-linked media on Friday, especially those affiliated with the IRGC, where multiple hosts and analysts harshly attacked Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi after he tweeted that the Strait of Hormuz was “declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire, on the coordinated route as already announced by Ports and Maritime Organisation”.

The political friction was echoed by Reuters-linked reporting in The Jerusalem Post, which said Ghalibaf urged readers to rely on the foreign ministry spokesman’s interview rather than Trump’s posts.

Beyond the immediate denials, multiple outlets described negotiations involving Pakistan as mediator and discussed potential financial incentives tied to Iran’s nuclear stockpile, while Trump publicly rejected the idea of payments.

Axios reported that the U.S. and Iran were negotiating over a three-page plan to end the war, with one element under discussion being that the U.S. would release $20 billion in frozen Iranian funds in return for Iran giving up its stockpile of enriched uranium, citing two U.S. officials and two additional sources briefed on the talks.

Crypto Briefing

Axios said the talks were expected to take place in Islamabad, likely on Sunday, and that Pakistan was mediating with behind-the-scenes support from Egypt and Turkey, while it also noted that Trump wrote on Truth Social after the story published that “no money will change hands.”

CNN similarly said the Trump administration was considering unfreezing $20 billion in Iranian assets as part of ongoing negotiations, and it quoted White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly saying, “Productive conversations with Iran continue, but we will not negotiate via the press,” while CNN described lead Pakistani mediators including Asim Munir entering their third day of talks with Iranian officials in Tehran on Friday.

Reuters-linked reporting in The Jerusalem Post said a senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran hoped a preliminary agreement could be reached in the coming days with mediator Pakistan’s efforts, with the possibility of extending the ceasefire to “create space for more talks on lifting sanctions on Iran and securing compensation for war damages.”

At the same time, Trump’s own messaging contradicted the reported cash-for-uranium concept, with CBS News reporting that when asked about unfreezing assets, Trump denied it: “No, we are not paying 10 cents.”

The stakes remained tied to the ceasefire and the Strait of Hormuz, with Al Jazeera reporting that the IRGC said the Strait was “once again heavily restricted” due to U.S. “acts of piracy and maritime theft,” and with Reuters-linked reporting saying keeping the Strait open was “conditional on US adherence to the terms of the ceasefire.”