Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Khatibzadeh reiterated that no enriched uranium will be handed over to the United States, rebutting Trump's "nuclear dust" remarks. The US-Iran nuclear negotiations have stalled, with Iran refusing the US's three major hardline demands and proposing to shorten the suspension period to 5 years. The disagreements between the two sides have intensified, making negotiations difficult to advance.

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2026-04-19 19:47:41

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Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Khatibzadeh explicitly declared on April 19: No enriched uranium will be handed over to the United States, directly countering Trump’s claim of “taking nuclear dust”; the US-Iran nuclear negotiations have fallen into a deadlock, with Iran even proposing to cut the enrichment suspension period to 5 years, as the core disagreements between the two sides continue to widen.
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Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh earlier told the Associated Press: “I can tell you clearly, no enriched uranium will be sent to the United States.” This statement directly refutes Trump’s recent tough stance.

Trump claimed that US troops would enter Iran to retrieve approximately 440 kilograms (970 pounds) of enriched uranium believed to still be buried under the ruins after last year’s US strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Khatibzadeh said: That’s absolutely not going to happen. I can assure you, while we are willing to address any concerns, we will never accept anything that is fundamentally impossible.

The US side has set out three major conditions, which Iran has rejected one by one

At the negotiation table, the US’s demands are extremely tough: requiring Iran to dismantle the three core nuclear facilities of Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan; demanding Iran transfer all remaining enriched uranium within its borders to the US; and requiring Iran to cease uranium enrichment activities for 20 years.

In response to this list, Iran’s reply was a systematic rejection. Another Deputy Foreign Minister, Majid Takht-Ravanchi, previously stated that Iran is willing to discuss the scope of restrictions on its nuclear program, but “zero enrichment” is an absolute red line. Iran insists that conducting uranium enrichment within its own territory is an inalienable sovereign right.

The 20-year suspension proposal was rejected, and Iran countered with a 5-year plan

Regarding the US’s proposal to suspend activities for 20 years, Iran officially rejected it and proposed a counterplan: shortening the suspension period to 5 years. This counterproposal indicates that Iran has not completely closed the door to negotiations but has also clearly set the upper limit for concessions.

Iranian officials believe that the US’s current tough stance in negotiations is the main obstacle preventing substantive progress in nuclear talks. Iran’s core demand is: under certain restrictions, retaining domestic uranium enrichment capabilities rather than giving them up entirely.

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