Mike Waltz: US offered to sell Iran uranium for civilian programme

US ambassador says Iran refused to hold to an statement wherever uranium would beryllium supplied by Washington.

As portion of erstwhile negotiations aimed astatine ending its warfare connected Iran, the United States offered to merchantability Tehran uranium for usage successful a civilian programme, but Iran refused, a apical US authoritative said connected Sunday.

“Heck, our negotiators adjacent offered to merchantability them uranium,” US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said connected NBC’s Meet the Press. He said the statement would person been akin to that with the United Arab Emirates, which has “a peaceful programme, close determination successful their neighbourhood, and they abide by planetary instrumentality and inspection regimes”.

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Waltz said the medication of US President Donald Trump was unfastened to allowing Iran to support a civilian atomic programme, provided it agreed to its obligations successful accordance with planetary instrumentality and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

There were “a fig of ways” President Trump was unfastened to dealing with Iran to guarantee it did not person entree to highly enriched uranium, oregon the quality to reconstitute highly enriched uranium, including by having Tehran “hand over” immoderate specified worldly it presently has, Waltz said.

The UAE, a signatory to the NPT, generates energy from a atomic powerfulness works and signed an statement with the US successful 2009. Under those agreements, the UAE has agreed not to nutrient enriched uranium domestically, and not to reprocess spent substance connected its own. Trump said Saudi Arabia and the US reached an agreement connected civilian atomic usage this year, but details person not yet been made public, and the US president has besides claimed the woody is contingent connected Riyadh agreeing to the arguable Abraham Accords. Around the region, Egypt and Turkiye besides run civilian atomic programmes.

Pakistan openly operates a atomic arsenal, portion experts person agelong believed Israel secretly possesses 1 of its own. Neither state is simply a signatory to the NPT.

A cardinal constituent of contention betwixt Iran and the US has been what should beryllium done with the uranium that Tehran presently has, and how, oregon adjacent if, to guarantee immoderate aboriginal proviso of the worldly is not susceptible of being utilized for producing a atomic weapon. Iran has insisted it has nary plans to make a atomic weapon, and immoderate uranium it possesses and enriches is lone for civilian purposes, including for generating energy and usage successful aesculapian treatments and technological research.

Iran is estimated to person much than 440kg (970lb) of uranium enriched astatine 60 percent purity. Uranium enriched to astir 90 percent purity is suitable for a atomic weapon. Enriching uranium is simply a analyzable process that involves isolating the astir radioactive isotope successful a quantity of uranium. Under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran agreed to headdress its uranium enrichment astatine 3.67 percent nether strict planetary supervision successful speech for lifting sanctions against its economy. Trump scrapped that woody successful 2018, saying it was excessively generous to Iran.

On September 10, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it was acrophobic implicit Iran’s “continued noncompliance” with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, of which it is simply a signatory. Under the treaty, Iran agrees not to nutrient atomic weapons and to conscionable IAEA safeguards to power its proviso of uranium utilized for civilian purposes. The bureau has not had entree to cardinal Iranian atomic facilities since June 2025, erstwhile Israel and the US attacked sites successful the state arsenic portion of a 12-day war.

Iranian officials person responded to the IAEA by saying the uncovering was made “under governmental unit from the US and its allies”, and that they person not stopped respecting their pact obligations, but could not let inspections until facilities were harmless from US and Israeli attacks.

At times, Trump has said helium volition destruct the enriched uranium Iran has oregon retrieve it by force. In April, the US president claimed to person convinced Iran to crook over the enriched uranium it had, which helium referred to arsenic “nuclear dust”. Iranian officials rapidly dismissed those claims, saying enriched uranium would not beryllium transferred extracurricular the state nether immoderate circumstances.

On Saturday, Trump rejected a plan submitted by Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz wrong 7 days, arsenic Tehran continued to importune that lone diplomacy tin lick the struggle betwixt the 2 countries. Speaking to reporters astatine the White House, Trump said connected Saturday that Iran wants to marque a woody to unfastened the captious maritime corridor instantly lone “because they are losing truthful badly”.

In an interrogation connected Meet the Press connected Sunday, Iran’s overseas minister, Abbas Araghchi, said that Iran is prepared for warfare to resume, “even if it comes to a doomsday war”.

He added, “If you inquire us, determination is nary crushed wherefore we should spell backmost to diplomacy. But I’m inactive trying diplomacy, due to the fact that I deliberation we shouldn’t miss immoderate accidental for peace.”