Iran has agreed in principle to give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium as part of a proposed agreement with the United States aimed at ending the ongoing conflict and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, according to a report in The New York Times.The report quoted two US officials as saying that Tehran had made a general commitment to abandon its uranium stockpile, although the exact mechanism for doing so would be negotiated later during the official nuclear talks.The issue of Iran’s reserves of enriched uranium was one of Washington’s main demands in discussions on ending the war.Iran initially resisted including the uranium issue in the first phase of the agreement and wanted to postpone it to later negotiations.
However, US negotiators were reported to have been told through mediators that Washington would withdraw from the talks and resume military operations if there was no initial commitment from Tehran.
The United States is considering its military options regarding uranium stockpiles
The report said military planners recently developed options for President Donald Trump to target Iran’s uranium stockpile, most of which is believed to be stored underground at the Isfahan nuclear facility. Among the options discussed were bunker-busting strikes and even a possible joint US-Israeli commando raid, although the latter was never agreed to.
Iran is believed to possess about 970 pounds of uranium enriched to 60 percent, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. Israeli officials have claimed that the stockpile could be enough to make multiple nuclear weapons if it is further enriched.One potential option under discussion could involve Iran handing over its stockpile to Russia, similar to arrangements reached under the 2015 nuclear deal negotiated during the administration of former US President Barack Obama.Another possibility might involve converting the uranium to a lower enrichment level unsuitable for weapons use.
Trump says deal was ‘largely negotiated’
This development comes amid growing optimism about the possibility of achieving a breakthrough in the Iranian-American talks. Earlier, President Trump said that an agreement had been negotiated to largely end the war.Trump said the “final aspects and details” were still being discussed and described the proposed arrangement as a “peace memorandum of understanding.”The draft framework being discussed could include a formal declaration ending the war, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and launching new negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program that will last between 30 and 60 days.However, Iran stressed that nuclear issues are not currently part of the immediate negotiations.Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei described the proposed understanding as a “framework agreement” for broader talks in the future, the Associated Press reported.
The ceasefire remains fragile amid ongoing tensions
The discussions are taking place after months of conflict that began following US and Israeli strikes on Iran in February.Although the ceasefire has largely held since April, tensions remain high, with both sides continuing to warn of the possibility of renewed military action if negotiations collapse.The Strait of Hormuz remains a major issue in negotiations, with disruption to the waterway continuing to impact global oil and energy supplies.Iran has also continued to demand the lifting of sanctions and access to frozen assets as part of any long-term settlement.
