Has Iran agreed to give up its uranium stockpile? Here’s what we know

Iran has agreed in principle to give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium as part of a broader peace agreement being negotiated with the United States to end the ongoing West Asia conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, according to two US officials. US President Donald Trump said Washington and Tehran were close to finalising a deal, though he did not disclose its terms. The New York Times reported.

US officials said the understanding remains broad at this stage, with the exact mechanism for disposing of the near-weapons-grade uranium yet to be worked out. Detailed discussions on how Iran would transfer, dilute or otherwise neutralise the material are expected in a later round of nuclear talks after the wider agreement is reached.

The reported move marks a major shift in the negotiations, especially after Iranian sources recently said Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had directed that the stockpile should not be sent out of the country.

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According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran currently has nearly 400 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 per cent purity, a level close to weapons-grade. Israeli officials have repeatedly said the stockpile could be refined further to produce material for multiple nuclear bombs. The issue had emerged as a major sticking point in the talks, with Iranian negotiators reportedly seeking to postpone any commitment on the stockpile until a later phase.

US officials, however, said Washington insisted that Tehran make at least a preliminary commitment in the initial agreement, warning that failure to do so could lead to the collapse of talks and a resumption of military operations.

The report said American military planners had in recent days prepared options to target Iran’s uranium reserves, much of which is believed to be stored underground at the Isfahan nuclear facility. The site was previously struck by US Tomahawk missiles last year. Among the options discussed was the use of bunker-busting bombs to destroy the buried stockpile. At one stage, Trump also considered approving a joint US-Israeli commando operation to seize the uranium after Iran regained access to the material following earlier strikes, the newspaper said. The operation was ultimately not authorised because of the high risks involved.

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One option under discussion mirrors the framework used in the 2015 nuclear agreement negotiated under former US President Barack Obama, when Iran transferred large parts of its enriched uranium stockpile to Russia. Another option involves reducing the enrichment level to make the uranium unusable for weapons purposes. The next phase of negotiations is also expected to focus on the future of Iran’s uranium enrichment programme.

While the United States has reportedly sought a long-term moratorium on enrichment activities, Iran is said to have proposed a much shorter timeline. The proposed agreement is also expected to include the release of billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets held abroad, with most funds linked to reconstruction assistance to be released only after a final nuclear agreement is concluded.

Twelve weeks after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28, the fallout continues across the region. The attacks killed several senior Iranian figures, including the country’s supreme leader, and derailed US-Iran nuclear negotiations for the second time in under a year. In response, Iran targeted Israel as well as neighbouring countries hosting American military bases, rattling Gulf states that had long seen themselves as insulated from the region’s conflicts.