- Trump warned Iran to hand over its enriched uranium -- a key sticking point in efforts to end war -- to US
- He said it should be handed over to be destroyed in US or destroy it in Iran with an international witness
- His warning came as US forces conducted "self-defence" strikes on Iranian boats and missile launch facilities
President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he expected Iran to hand over its enriched uranium -- a key sticking point in efforts to end the war in the Middle East -- to the United States to be destroyed or have it destroyed in Iran with an international witness.
"The Enriched Uranium (Nuclear Dust!) will either be immediately turned over to the United States to be brought home and destroyed or, preferably, in conjunction and coordination with the Islamic Republic of Iran, destroyed in place or, at another acceptable location, with the Atomic Energy Commission, or its equivalent, being witness to this process and event," he said in a social media post.
Since the war in the Middle East broke out on February 28, Trump has repeatedly said his key aim is to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon with its highly enriched uranium.
Tehran has consistently denied it has plans to do that.
Trump's message to Iran came as the US forces conducted "self-defence" strikes on Iranian boats and missile launch facilities, threatening an already fragile ceasefire that began April 8.
"US forces conducted self-defense strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces," Tim Hawkins, a US Central Command spokesperson, said in a statement.
He gave no details of the attacks and said only that the targets included missile launch sites and boats trying to "emplace mines."
The strikes came as Iran's top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and its foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, were in Doha for talks with Qatar's prime minister on a potential deal with the US to end the war.
Trump Says Talks With Iran Going "Nicely"
Trump on Monday said talks with Iran were going "nicely", but warned of fresh attacks if they failed.
It "will only be a Great Deal for all, or no Deal at all," he wrote in a lengthy post on Truth Social.
He also said that any agreement to end the Iran war should include a requirement for several additional countries, including Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Qatar, Egypt, Turkey and Jordan, to join the Abraham Accords, the US-brokered agreements from Trump's first term aimed at normalising relations with Israel. Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates were the first countries to join the Abraham Accords in 2020.
While Egypt, Jordan and Turkey have already formally recognised Israel, Saudi Arabia maintains that any normalisation deal requires first establishing a clear path for Palestinian statehood. That's also key for Pakistan, which is among the countries that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel.
"After all the work done by the United States to try and pull this very complex puzzle together, it should be mandatory that all of these Countries, at a minimum, simultaneously, sign onto the Abraham Accords," Trump said.
He said he brought up the Abraham Accords plan with leaders during negotiations on Saturday.
He said he would accept “one or two” countries declining to sign, but said most should be willing.
