WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday appeared to undercut a proposal that was offered by his special envoy to Iran, saying he will insist that Tehran fully dismantle its nuclear enrichment program as part of any deal to ease crushing sanctions.
Trump and Steve Witkoff, who is leading the negotiations for the U.S., have repeatedly offered inconsistent public messages about whether Iran would be allowed to retain the capacity to enrich uranium to lower levels for civilian purposes. The Trump administration maintains that it will not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon.
The negotiations have been framed by Trump as both countries’ best chance to avoid direct military conflict over Iran’s nuclear program. Tehran, which denies seeking a nuclear weapon, has insisted that it will not agree to any deal that fully scraps its enrichment program.
“Under our potential Agreement — WE WILL NOT ALLOW ANY ENRICHMENT OF URANIUM!” Trump wrote on social media.
Addressing the seeming contradiction, a White House official said Trump was speaking the “cold, hard truth.” The official said the terms the U.S. gave the Iranians were “very tough” and would make it impossible for them to obtain a nuclear bomb.
Trump’s post comes after media reports that Witkoff’s latest proposal to Tehran would allow Iran to retain low levels of enrichment for civilian uses like nuclear medicine and commercial power if it agrees to shut down its heavily protected underground sites for a period of time. The U.S. and Iran have engaged in several rounds of direct nuclear talks for the first time in years.
Senior officials — including Witkoff and Trump himself — have said within the last few weeks that Iran would not be able to keep enriching uranium at any level.
The proposal, reported by Axios and confirmed by a U.S. official, called for the creation of a regional consortium to handle uranium enrichment for civilian uses — a plan first studied more than a decade ago in negotiations that led to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
Trump was sharply critical of that agreement — which also allowed set limits on uranium enrichment but permitted Iran to maintain such a capacity — and withdrew the U.S. from it in 2017 during his first term.
The officials spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss private diplomatic negotiations.
The International Atomic Energy Agency found that Iran has further increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels since its last update in February, according to a confidential report released by the U.N. nuclear watchdog on Saturday.
Iran has maintained that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only, but Iranian officials have increasingly suggested that Tehran could pursue an atomic bomb.
“President Trump has made it clear that Iran can never obtain a nuclear bomb," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement before Trump's post. "Special Envoy Witkoff has sent a detailed and acceptable proposal to the Iranian regime, and it’s in their best interest to accept it. Out of respect for the ongoing deal, the Administration will not comment on details of the proposal to the media.”
The proposal that Trump appeared to undercut on Monday evening included significant concessions by the administration certain to anger Israel along with pro-Israel lawmakers in the United States.
Several of the main points were essentially the same or very similar to conditions outlined in the 2015 nuclear deal.
Early iterations of that agreement negotiated by the Obama administration also suggested the possibility of a regional consortium that would put Iranian uranium enrichment above a certain level under the control of Iran and its neighbors. The idea was scrapped, however, because of Gulf Arab nations’ objections and Iranian suspicions of the ultimate aims of the consortium.
People who were involved in the 18-month negotiations for the 2015 deal reacted immediately to reports that the Trump administration might allow Iran to continue with an enrichment program at any level, particularly after senior officials repeatedly said Iran would not be able to retain such programs.
“This proposal poses a moment of truth for critics of previous Iran nuclear negotiations/agreements (and) those who have called for a no-enrichment, full-dismantlement deal,” Dan Shapiro, Obama’s former ambassador to Israel, wrote on X. “Will they hold Trump to the same standard?”
President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference with Elon Musk in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kongers offered flowers and bowed outside a funeral parlor on Friday to pay tribute to a firefighter who was among the 160 people killed by the city's deadliest fire in decades.
Ho Wai-ho lost his life battling the massive blaze that engulfed seven buildings of a housing complex on Nov. 26. He was 37. The fire services department has posthumously awarded him the title of senior fireman.
An array of wreaths lay outside the Universal Funeral Parlour, with thank-you cards from residents put up on its wall. Top officials, including Hong Kong leader John Lee, were among the funeral attendees.
After the ceremony, they stood outside the parlor to send off the hearse, which carried Ho’s portrait at the front. Dozens of firefighters raised a salute as Ho’s coffin, draped with a Hong Kong regional flag, departed.
Before the funeral, some black-clad residents laid flowers at a mourning area outside the venue. One woman cried when she paid respect, and a man made a salute gesture.
Resident Andy Fong, who brought yellow flowers with him, said he hoped Ho could rest in peace.
“It's heartbreaking. Although we have never met, it has saddened every Hong Konger," he said.
Retiree Tse Pak-yin praised Ho for his bravery.
“I hope he will be happy. He still hasn't got married and it's such as pity,” he said.
Ho is survived by his parents, his two brothers and his fiancée.
The hearse headed to Wang Fuk Court, the site of the fire, for another ceremony before proceeding to Ho's fire station. At the station, colleagues paid their last tributes, with some officers marching on both sides of the hearse as it moved. He was laid to rest at Gallant Garden, a burial ground for civil servants who die in the line of duty.
In a Monday statement, the fire services department said Ho was an industrious, polite and dedicated member who was well respected by his colleagues.
The financial hub's worst blaze since 1948 broke out November 26 at Wang Fuk Court, in the northern suburban district of Tai Po. It was undergoing a monthslong renovation project with buildings covered by bamboo scaffolding and green netting.
Authorities have pointed to the substandard plastic nylon netting and foam boards installed on windows for contributing to the fire’s rapid spread.
Thousands of affected residents have moved to transitional homes, hotels and youth hostels, struggling to recover from the loss of lives and homes that took them years to buy. The tragedy pained many residents across the city.
While arrests were made, some residents have raised concerns about government oversight in building maintenance projects and official investigation efforts.
The government last week announced a judge-led independent committee to probe the cause and expected it to conclude the work within nine months, along with new requirements for checking the standards of netting.
An earlier version of the headline on this story inaccurately described the fire as Hong Kong’s deadliest. It was the deadliest in decades.
Firefighters gather around the grave of Ho Wai-ho, the firefighter who lost his life in the line of duty during the deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court on Nov. 26, during a funeral in Hong Kong, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
A picture of Ho Wai-ho, the firefighter who lost his life in the line of duty during the deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court on Nov. 26, is displayed on a hearse at a funeral parlor, in Hong Kong, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
A display of wreaths stand outside a funeral parlor at a tribute to Ho Wai-ho, the firefighter who lost his life in the line of duty during the deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court on Nov. 26, in Hong Kong, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
A resident salutes to pay tribute to Ho Wai-ho, the firefighter who lost his life in the line of duty during the deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court on Nov. 26, in Hong Kong, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
People gather outside a funeral parlor to pay tribute to Ho Wai-ho, the firefighter who lost his life in the line of duty during the deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court on Nov. 26, passing by a funeral parlor in Hong Kong, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
A hearse carries Ho Wai-ho, the firefighter who lost his life in the line of duty during the deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court on Nov. 26, as it passes by a funeral parlor, in Hong Kong, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
A hearse carries Ho Wai-ho, the firefighter who lost his life in the line of duty during the deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court on Nov. 26, passes by a funeral parlor in Hong Kong, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
