Iran says its enriched uranium 'not going to be transferred'

Iran's foreign ministry on Friday (17 April) said the country's stockpile of enriched uranium would not be transferred "anywhere", denying an earlier claim by US President Donald Trump that the Islamic republic had agreed to hand it over.

"Iran's enriched uranium is not going to be transferred anywhere," Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told state TV.

"Transfer of Iran's enriched uranium to the US has never been raised in negotiations."

Trump posted on his Truth Social platform earlier Friday, "The USA will get all Nuclear 'Dust,' created by our great B2 Bombers," referring to enriched uranium buried by US strikes last year.

But Baqaei said recent talks centred on solving the conflict and not on recovering Iran's uranium.

"The previous negotiations focused on the nuclear issue, but now the negotiations are focused on ending the war, and naturally the range of topics discussed has become wider and more diverse," he said.

"The 10-point plan for lifting sanctions is very important to us. The issue of compensation for the damages incurred during the imposed war is of particular importance."

He also took aim at Trump for posting on his Truth Social platform Friday that the US naval blockade of Iranian ports would remain in place until a peace deal with Tehran was reached, despite Tehran declaring the Strait of Hormuz reopened.

"The opening and closing of the Strait of Hormuz, does not take place on internet, it is determined in the field, and our armed forces certainly know how to behave in response to any action by the other side," said Baqaei.

"What they call a naval blockade will definitely be met with an appropriate response from Iran. A naval blockade is a violation of the ceasefire and Iran will definitely take the necessary measures."

His comments came after US news outlet Axios reported that Washington and Tehran were negotiating a plan that would include Washington releasing $20 billion in frozen Iranian funds in return for Iran giving up its stockpile of enriched uranium.

Tehran still possesses a significant quantity of uranium enriched both to 60%, close to the 90% level required to make an atomic bomb, as well as a stockpile of uranium enriched to 20%, another critical threshold.

Prior to US strikes in June 2025, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) calculated that Iran possessed approximately 440 kilogrammes of uranium enriched to 60%, well above the 3.67% limit set by a 2015 agreement from which the United States subsequently withdrew.

Since June 2025, the fate of this stockpile has remained uncertain, with Tehran refusing access to IAEA inspectors at the sites ravaged by US and Israeli strikes.