U.S. Offered to Supply Iran With Nuclear Fuel, Waltz Says
The United States offered to sell Iran uranium for a civilian nuclear program instead of letting Tehran enrich uranium itself to weapons-relevant levels, and Iran refused. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz disclosed the proposal on NBC's Meet the Press. The interview was reported on September 27, 2026 Al Jazeera.
Waltz said the administration of President Donald Trump would accept a civilian Iranian program if Tehran complied with international law and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the pact that bars states without nuclear weapons from acquiring them. To block Iranian access to highly enriched uranium, he said, one option was for Tehran to hand over material it currently holds.
Waltz compared the proposed arrangement to the United Arab Emirates model. He described the UAE as having a peaceful program that follows international law and inspection regimes. The UAE signed a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with the United States in 2009. Under that deal, Abu Dhabi agreed not to enrich uranium domestically and not to reprocess spent fuel on its own, somewhat like agreeing to buy fuel rather than refine it at home.
The dispute centers on Iran's current inventory. Iran is estimated to hold more than 440kg of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity. Enrichment raises the concentration of the fissile isotope U-235, with low levels used for power and high levels needed for weapons. Under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Iran agreed to cap enrichment at 3.67 percent under strict international supervision in exchange for lifting sanctions, or economic penalties. Trump withdrew the United States from the agreement in 2018.
Verification is limited. On September 10, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, said it was concerned over Iran's continued noncompliance with the treaty. The agency has not had access to key Iranian nuclear facilities since June 2025.
Iran said it was awaiting a definitive U.S. response despite Trump rejecting the latest proposal, according to reporting also dated September 27 ScrippsNews. Waltz has described the U.S. goal in different terms. In a CBS News interview published June 21, he said Iranian officials aren't "good guys" and put the goal as "Iran not having a nuclear program" CBS News. The Wall Street Journal had reported in April 2025 on a U.S. offer of a civilian program as a possible compromise. In January, Waltz told the U.N. Security Council that all options regarding Iran are on the table.
From 2006 to 2010, the Security Council passed six resolutions governing Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Resolution 1696, adopted under Chapter VII of the U.N. Charter, demanded that Iran suspend all uranium enrichment-related and reprocessing activities. U.S. officials have noted that Iran is the only state in the world without nuclear weapons to have produced and accumulated uranium enriched to 60 percent.
The broader context here is a choice between two nonproliferation approaches. One would keep the fuel cycle outside Iran, with Tehran importing fresh fuel and exporting spent fuel under agency safeguards, close to the UAE precedent. The other would allow limited domestic enrichment at low levels with intrusive monitoring, close to the 2015 deal formula. The variables to watch are stockpile disposition, enrichment caps, centrifuge numbers, and access timelines. Without agreement on those, a supply offer shows Washington's preferred model but leaves enforcement open. Tehran's refusal preserves its leverage and inventory. The next test is whether either side tables verifiable language on handover, procurement, and inspections, or whether coercive signaling resumes.
