Two U.S. officials have revealed that a core element of the proposed U.S.-Iran agreement is Iran's commitment to hand over its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
White House personnel have not yet responded to requests for comment. President Trump stated on Saturday that the United States is close to reaching a ceasefire agreement with Iran and reopening navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. However, specific terms were not disclosed, and obstacles to finalizing the deal remain.
U.S. officials indicated that this framework agreement does not specify the exact method for Iran to surrender the enriched uranium. These details will be left for subsequent negotiations on nuclear issues.
The United States has long demanded that Iran abandon its enriched uranium stockpile. Iran's principled commitment on this matter is key to reaching the current agreement and helps alleviate skepticism from Republican lawmakers in Congress regarding the deal.
Iran has not yet issued a public statement regarding the agreement announced by President Trump.
Initially, Iran refused to settle the disposal method for enriched uranium in the first round of talks, insisting that the issue be postponed to the second phase of negotiations. U.S. negotiators, through intermediaries, made it clear that if a consensus on the uranium stockpile could not be reached in the early stages of the agreement, the U.S. would terminate negotiations and resume military strike operations.
In recent days, the military has presented President Trump with operational plans for striking Iran's uranium stockpile, most of which is stored at the Isfahan nuclear facility. This facility was attacked by U.S. Tomahawk missiles last June, at which time the highly enriched uranium was buried and sealed.
The proposed plans include using bunker-busting bombs to strike the Isfahan base in an attempt to destroy the underground uranium reserves.
Following last summer's attack, Iran regained control of this uranium stockpile. President Trump had considered approving a joint U.S.-Israeli special forces raid to seize the uranium inventory. This operation carried extremely high risks and was highly likely to cause significant casualties among U.S. and Israeli soldiers. It was ultimately not approved by the President.
According to International Atomic Energy Agency data, Iran currently possesses an enriched uranium stockpile of approximately 970 pounds at 60% enrichment.
Under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal during the Obama administration, Iran transferred its uranium stockpile to Russia. This method could be referenced for the current disposal. Alternatively, Iran could dilute the enriched uranium to a level unsuitable for nuclear weapons production.
Specialized nuclear negotiations will commence in the coming weeks and months to discuss the disposal method for the uranium stockpile and the control of Iran's uranium enrichment program. The United States demands that Iran suspend its uranium enrichment activities for twenty years, while Iran has proposed a shorter suspension period.
The unfreezing of Iran's substantial overseas assets is also a significant component of the agreement. U.S. officials stated that most of the frozen funds designated by the U.S. and its allies for a reconstruction fund would only be accessible to Iran once a final nuclear agreement is reached. This is intended to incentivize Iran to remain engaged in negotiations and facilitate the implementation of the deal.
