Donald Trump declared on Thursday, April 16th, that Iran had agreed to surrender its enriched uranium, one of the US’s requirements to reach an agreement with Tehran.
“They agreed to give us back the nuclear dust,” the American president told reporters at the White House, using the term he uses to refer to stocks of enriched uranium, adding: “There is a very good chance that we will reach an agreement.”
The Islamic Republic did not immediately confirm this information, as negotiations are still ongoing, under the auspices of Pakistan, to organize a second round of talks, after the failure of the first in Islamabad last weekend, to permanently end the war.
Ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon
On Thursday, Donald Trump achieved a diplomatic success on the Lebanon front, announcing that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun had agreed to a 10-day ceasefire starting at 9 p.m. GMT (11 p.m. in France), including Hezbollah.
The influential Pakistani army chief Asim Munir was in Iran on Thursday to meet with Parliament President Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, seen as Tehran’s main interlocutor.
While the conflict has claimed thousands of lives, mainly in Iran and Lebanon, and shaken the global economy, the world hopes for at least a two-week extension of the ceasefire that has been in place since April 8th.
The Strait of Hormuz still locked
Currently, Iran is still blocking the Strait of Hormuz, and Washington has imposed a blockade on ships coming to or from Iranian ports since Monday.
“If Iran makes the wrong choice, then there will be a blockade and bombs will fall on its electrical and energy infrastructure,” threatened Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth.
Iran, on the other hand, has threatened to also block the Red Sea, while reaffirming its willingness to negotiate.
The Iranian ambassador to the UN stated that Tehran was “cautiously optimistic” about its negotiations to end hostilities with the US, while expressing hope for a “significant outcome.”
No “fixed date” for the next negotiations
On Thursday, Israel once again threatened Iran with “even more painful strikes” if it refused to comply with US demands, particularly regarding nuclear weapons.
There is currently “no fixed date” for a second round of discussions, according to the spokesperson for the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The French Republic’s presidency announced on Thursday evening that around “thirty participants” would attend a videoconference co-chaired by Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday, to establish a mission to secure the Strait of Hormuz when conditions allow.
Original article published on BFMTV.com
