Iran nuclear deal: Iran agrees to give up uranium enrichment as deal with Donald Trump ‘largely negotiated’: report

Iran has agreed in principle to give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium as part of a proposed deal with the United States aimed at ending the ongoing conflict and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, The New York Times reported.The report quoted two U.S. officials as saying that Tehran has made a general commitment to give up its uranium stockpile, but the specific mechanism will be negotiated during formal nuclear negotiations later.The issue of Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium has been one of Washington’s key demands in discussions to end the war.Iran initially refused to include the uranium issue in the phase one deal and wanted to postpone negotiations to a later date. However, U.S. negotiators reportedly said through intermediaries that Washington would withdraw from the talks and resume military operations if Tehran did not make initial commitments.

U.S. weighs military options for uranium stockpile

Military planners have recently laid out options for President Donald Trump to target Iran’s uranium stockpile, much of which is believed to be stored underground at the Isfahan nuclear facility, the report said. Options discussed included bunker-busting raids and possibly even a joint raid by U.S. and Israeli commandos, although the latter was never approved.According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran is believed to possess about 970 pounds of uranium enriched to 60 percent. Israeli officials claim that if further enriched, its stockpile could be large enough to accommodate multiple nuclear weapons.One possible option being discussed could be for Iran to hand over its stockpiles to Russia, similar to an arrangement struck under the 2015 nuclear deal during the administration of former U.S. President Barack Obama.Another possibility might involve converting uranium to a lower enrichment level unsuitable for weapons use.

Trump says deal ‘very much negotiated’

The development comes amid growing optimism about a possible breakthrough in Iran’s talks with the United States. Earlier, President Trump said a deal to end the war had been “largely negotiated.”Trump said “final aspects and details” were still being discussed and described the proposed arrangement as a “memorandum of understanding about peace.”The draft framework being discussed could include a formal declaration of an end to the war, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the launch of new 30- to 60-day negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program.However, Iran insists that the nuclear issue is not currently part of the current negotiations.Esmail Baghaei, a spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry, described the proposed understanding as a “framework agreement” for broader future negotiations, the Associated Press reported.

Tensions persist, ceasefire remains fragile

The discussions come after months of conflict that began after the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran in February.Although a ceasefire has largely held since April, tensions remain high and both sides continue to warn of renewed military action if talks break down.The Strait of Hormuz remains a major issue in negotiations, with disruptions in the waterway continuing to impact global oil and energy supplies.Iran also continues to demand the lifting of sanctions and access to frozen assets as part of a long-term solution.