Trump says a ‘real’ 20-year halt to Iranian uranium enrichment might be enough

Trump: “Twenty years is enough, but the level of guarantee from them, in other words it’s got to be a real 20 years.”

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

President Donald Trump said he could potentially support an agreement allowing Iran to suspend uranium enrichment for 20 years, signaling what appeared to be a shift from his earlier public position demanding a total end to Iranian enrichment activities.

Trump made the remarks to reporters aboard Air Force One after talks in Beijing with Chinese President Xi Jinping, where the two leaders discussed Iran’s nuclear program and regional tensions involving the Strait of Hormuz.

According to Trump, he and Xi agreed that Iran must not be permitted to obtain a nuclear weapon and that Tehran must reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran is currently blocking amid rising global oil prices.

During the exchange with reporters, Trump was asked whether a 20-year suspension of uranium enrichment by Iran would be sufficient.

“Twenty years is enough, but the level of guarantee from them, in other words it’s got to be a real 20 years,” Trump said, without elaborating on what guarantees would be required.

The remarks appeared to contrast with Trump’s earlier position on Iranian enrichment. Last June, he publicly declared: “WE WILL NOT ALLOW ANY ENRICHMENT OF URANIUM.”

US media reported in April that during negotiations held in Islamabad, Vice-President JD Vance rejected an Iranian proposal to halt enrichment for five years and instead pushed for a minimum suspension period of 20 years.

Trump’s comments marked the first time he publicly referred to a 20-year timeframe in connection with Iran’s enrichment activities.

The president also discussed Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which he referred to as nuclear “dust.”

Trump said Tehran had informed the United States that it lacked the technological capability to remove the material from underground nuclear facilities damaged during military operations.

“They said that they can’t remove it, because they don’t have the technology to remove it, they don’t have the type of tractors,” Trump said.

He added that only the United States and China possessed the technology needed to remove the material from what he described as “obliterated” nuclear sites.

Trump said Iran had previously agreed to remove the stockpile of 440 kilograms of highly enriched uranium but later reversed its position.