US President Donald Trump said Iran would be allowed to conduct limited low-level uranium enrichment under a future nuclear agreement, marking a notable shift from Washington's earlier demand that Tehran completely halt enrichment activities, according to media reports.

In an interview with The New York Times published on Sunday, Trump said a new agreement under discussion would ensure that Iran's uranium enrichment program remains exclusively for peaceful purposes.

"Iran's military will never be able to use it," Trump said, adding that Tehran would be permanently restricted from exceeding agreed enrichment limits.

The remarks have drawn attention in Iran, where media outlets, including the semi-official Tasnim news agency, interpreted the comments as a retreat from Trump's previous insistence on "zero enrichment" by Iran.

The issue of uranium enrichment has long been one of the most contentious points in negotiations between Washington and Tehran. Iran has consistently maintained that it has the right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, while successive US administrations have sought strict limits on the program to prevent any potential pathway to nuclear weapons.