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President Donald Trump declared Thursday that Iran has agreed to hand over its stockpile of enriched uranium and said the two countries were close to a peace agreement, as he simultaneously announced a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that he said would include Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said Iran was now willing to take steps it had previously resisted. "They've agreed to give us back the nuclear dust," Trump said, using his term for enriched uranium that Washington has long argued could be repurposed to build nuclear weapons. He added that a next round of negotiations could take place as early as this weekend, and that he might travel to Islamabad if a deal were signed there.
The president also confirmed that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to halt hostilities. "Today they're going to be having a ceasefire," Trump said, "and that'll include Hezbollah." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu separately said he had agreed to the 10-day truce.
Trump struck a notably optimistic tone on the Iran negotiations, saying the two sides had produced "a very powerful statement" that Iran would not acquire nuclear weapons, adding that the commitment extended beyond 20 years. "There's a very good chance we're going to make a deal," he said.
The remarks came with a shift in tone following Islamabad talks over the weekend, where Vice President JD Vance said Iran declined to accept U.S. terms.
A central sticking point has been the duration of any uranium enrichment suspension, with the U.S. pushing for 20 years and Iran offering three to five. Trump has said the shorter timeframe is unacceptable.
Trump did not soften his warning of consequences if diplomacy collapses. "If there is no deal," he told reporters, "the fighting will resume."
On current energy prices, Trump said gas prices were "not very high" and that oil was trading at roughly half the level that had been forecast.
He argued that a successful deal with Iran would push prices further down. "If deal happens, oil goes down, prices go down and inflation goes down," he said. He also pressed European allies to purchase more American oil and gas.
The president used the White House session to air a string of complaints against traditional partners.
He said NATO "wasn't there for us," and expressed displeasure with Australia, saying the country had failed to support the United States during the Hormuz crisis. "Not happy with Australia," Trump said. "Weren't there when we needed them."
Trump also pushed back against remarks attributed to Pope Francis on Iran's right to nuclear weapons. Asked by a reporter why he was fighting with the pontiff, Trump rejected the framing. "I'm not fighting with him," he said.
"The pope made a statement saying Iran can have a nuclear weapon." When a reporter challenged him on that characterization, Trump replied, "I can disagree with the pope."
The Lebanon truce announcement came as Tehran had made the cessation of Israeli strikes on Lebanese territory a condition for broader peace progress. Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Thursday that a ceasefire in Lebanon "is as important as a ceasefire in Iran."
The 10-day pause, set to begin Thursday at 5 p.m. Eastern time, emerged from direct talks in Washington between Lebanese and Israeli representatives earlier this week, the first such engagement between the two countries in decades. More than 2,100 people have been killed in Lebanon since hostilities escalated following the U.S.-Israel military campaign against Iran in late February, according to Lebanese authorities, with more than one million people displaced.
Trump said he was inviting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to the White House for further discussions. He left open the possibility of extending the ceasefire if circumstances required it. "I don't know if I'll extend the ceasefire," he said. "I will if I need to."
A U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports, which Trump said was "holding up well," remained in force as negotiations continued.
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