Trump tells reporters that the US and Iran are discussing 15 points to end the war, with Tehran giving up nuclear weapons as points “number one, two and three”.

Trump said if a deal is reached, the US would move to take Iran’s enriched uranium, which is critical to its disputed nuclear programme. Iran has adamantly refused such demands in the past, insisting it has the right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes.

On 28 February, the US and Israel launched their war on Iran – widely seen as illegally – in the midst of negotiations, raising questions about whether Washington was ever serious about striking a deal with Tehran over its nuclear programme.

The US wants to ensure Iran, which has four declared enrichment facilities, does not develop nuclear weapons.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN’s nuclear watchdog, Iran maintains a stockpile of 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60% purity – a short step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.

That stockpile could allow Iran to build as many as 10 nuclear bombs, should it decide to weaponise its programme, IAEA director general Rafael Grossi recently said, although he noted that it doesn’t mean that Iran has such a weapon yet.

Referring to his earlier comments that he has postponed threatened strikes on Iranian power plants for five days, Trump told reporters:

“We’re doing a five day period, and we’ll see how that goes. If it goes well, we’re going to end up with settling this.”

“Otherwise, we’ll just keep bombing our little hearts out.”

Trump said the US is talking to a “top person” within the Iranian regime to try to end the war, but not the new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.

When asked by CNN’s chief White House correspondent Kaitlin Collins who the US is talking to in Iran, Trump was quoted as having said:

A top person. Don’t forget: We’ve wiped out the leadership phase one, phase two and largely phase three.

But we’re dealing with a man who I believe is the most respected and the leader, you know it’s a little tough, they’ve wiped out – we’ve wiped out everybody.

Asked whether the US was talking to Khamenei, Trump said: “No, not the supreme leader.”

“We have not heard from the son. Every once in a while you’ll see a statement made – but we don’t know if he’s living,” Trump added.

Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen in public since being named supreme leader two weeks ago, after an Israeli airstrike killed his father and predecessor, Ali Khamenei, fuelling speculation about his health. Trump had made clear before his selection that he considered Mojtaba an “unacceptable” choice.

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https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/mar/23/middle-east-crisis-live-iea-chief-says-iran-war-energy-crunch-worse-than-1970s-oil-crises-and-ukraine-war-combined