Trump cut in: \u201cNo, 20 years is enough, but the level of guarantee from them, in other words, it\u2019s gotta be a real 20 years\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
The president went on to complain that Iran has also now said it cannot remove its nuclear \u201cdust,\u201d referring to the regime\u2019s underground stockpile of 440 kilograms of highly enriched uranium: \u201cThey said that they can\u2019t remove it, because they don\u2019t have the technology to remove it, they don\u2019t have the type of tractors\u201d and that only China and the US have the technology to remove it from the \u201cobliterated\u201d nuclear facilities. He said Iran had agreed to have the stockpile removed, but then reneged.<\/p>\n
Shifting position<\/p>\n
Until recently, Trump has demanded that Iran agree to permanently cease all enrichment, and commit to never seeking nuclear weapons, declaring that he didn\u2019t want to pass the problem off to a future president. \u201cWE WILL NOT ALLOW ANY ENRICHMENT OF URANIUM,\u201d he declared<\/a> last June.<\/p>\n A month earlier, his key negotiator Steve Witkoff said<\/a> Iran must give up all enrichment of nuclear fuel in any deal \u201cbecause enrichment enables weaponization, and we will not allow a bomb to get here.\u201d And in April of this year, Trump said<\/a> the terms of the deal he was advancing with Iran would ensure \u201cno enrichment of uranium.\u201d<\/p>\n Days later, however, US Vice President JD Vance was reported<\/a> to have proposed a 20-year halt to enrichment during talks in Pakistan, to which Iran responded with an offer of a five-year halt, which Trump rejected. Trump distanced himself from that offer on April 14, however, telling<\/a> the New York Post: \u201cI\u2019ve been saying they can\u2019t have nuclear weapons. So I don\u2019t like the 20 years\u2026 I don\u2019t want them [Tehran] to feel like they have a win.\u201d<\/p>\n Reports last week indicated<\/a> that the US was still proposing a 20-year halt, and that Iran was countering with an unspecified shorter period while also rejecting dismantling its nuclear facilities. Trump\u2019s comments on Friday appeared to confirm that he does now stand behind the proposal for a 20-year moratorium, and that Iran has rejected this.<\/p>\n While Trump on Friday gave no further details on what the suspension would entail, the 20-year \u201cguarantee\u201d appears to mirror the much-maligned \u201csunset clause\u201d in the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran that would have allowed Tehran to enrich unlimited amounts of uranium once the deal elapsed.<\/p>\n Trump pulled the US out of that agreement in 2018, calling the sunset clause \u201ctotally unacceptable\u201d<\/a> and saying that it would spark a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.<\/p>\n In March, Witkoff said<\/a> Iran\u2019s negotiators had bragged to him that they had amassed enough 60%-enriched uranium for 11 bombs. The Iranian negotiators \u201cwere proud that they had evaded all sorts of oversight protocols to get to a place where they could deliver 11 nuclear bombs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Witkoff said the Iranian negotiators insisted on \u201can inalienable right\u201d to enrich their nuclear fuel. \u201cWe responded that the president feels we have the inalienable right to stop you dead in your tracks.\u201d<\/p>\n However, Trump on Friday also said his patience with Iran was running out and that he had agreed in talks with Xi that Tehran could not be allowed to have a nuclear weapon and must reopen the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n Tehran denies seeking nuclear weapons, but it has enriched uranium to levels that have no peaceful application, obstructed international inspectors from checking its nuclear facilities, and expanded its ballistic missile capabilities.<\/p>\n Washington and Tehran announced a ceasefire last month but have been struggling to thrash out a lasting peace pact. Talks mediated by Pakistan have been suspended since Iran and the US each rejected the other\u2019s latest proposals last week.<\/p>\n Israel, which launched the military campaign against Iran jointly with the US six weeks ago, is not represented at the talks. Host Pakistan has no diplomatic ties with Israel and does not recognize its sovereignty.<\/p>\n The ceasefire declared by Trump in April came with core declared goals of the war unfulfilled, including ensuring that Iran does not attain nuclear weapons, destroying its missile program, and creating the conditions for the Iranian public to overthrow the regime.<\/p>\n Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump also said he discussed lifting sanctions on Chinese companies that buy Iranian oil during his visit to Beijing and will make a decision soon.<\/p>\n The US recently imposed sanctions on several Chinese oil refiners for buying Iranian oil, including Hengli Petrochemical 600346.SS, one of the country\u2019s largest private refiners and a symbol of Beijing\u2019s drive to modernize and upgrade the industry.<\/p>\n \t \u201cWe talked about that and I\u2019m going to make a decision over the next few days,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n US officials, including Trump, raised the possibility of China buying more American energy over the course of the summit, although Chinese readouts of the meeting made no mention of any deals.<\/p>\n \u2018No trust\u2019<\/p>\n While Trump indicated there was flexibility in the US position, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that\u00a0Tehran has \u201cno trust\u201d in the US and would only be interested in negotiating with Washington if it was serious.<\/p>\n Araghchi told reporters in New Delhi that \u201ccontradictory messages\u201d had raised Iranian doubts about the Americans\u2019 real intentions, adding that the Pakistani mediation process had not failed but was in \u201cdifficulty.\u201d<\/p>\n Iran is trying to keep the latest ceasefire to give diplomacy a chance, but is also prepared to go back to fighting, Araghchi said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat was said that the United States rejected Iran\u2019s proposal or Iran\u2019s response to the American proposal was a few days ago, when Mr. Trump tweeted and said that it was unacceptable,\u201d Araghchi said.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26135140701624-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tPresident Donald Trump talks with China\u2019s President Xi Jinping at the Zhongnanhai leadership compound, Friday, May 15, 2026, in Beijing. (AP Photo\/Mark Schiefelbein, Pool)<\/p>\n
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