Iran’s supreme leader orders enriched uranium to remain in the country, complicating U.S. talks
The Facts
- Two senior Iranian sources said Iran’s supreme leader directed that the country’s near-weapons-grade enriched uranium should not be sent abroad.
- The directive hardens Tehran’s stance on a main U.S. demand in the talks over Iran’s nuclear program and the broader conflict involving Iran and Israel.
- Israeli officials told Reuters that Trump had assured Israel any future agreement with Tehran would require Iran’s highly enriched uranium to be removed from the country.
- Trump said the United States would take control of Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile and would not allow Iran to keep it.
- The uranium stockpile has become a central sticking point in the negotiations, leaving a final agreement uncertain.
- Reports from multiple outlets said the United States and Iran remain engaged in indirect negotiations, with some indications that gaps have narrowed but no deal has been reached.
How left and right are reading this
- Both agree
- Any credible nuclear agreement must clearly resolve control of Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile; leaving that central safeguard undefined keeps the talks’ most consequential enforcement question unsettled and makes a final deal uncertain.
- They split on
- Less a disagreement than a question of emphasis: the risk to collective security from uranium remaining in Iran, versus the need for enforceable limits that distinguish a constraining agreement from one that merely delays the dispute.
Analytical frames for this storyTap to explore
Context
Why is the uranium issue central to the talks?
Multiple reports say the United States wants Iran’s highly enriched uranium removed from the country or otherwise brought under U.S. control as part of any agreement, while Iran’s leadership is now refusing to send it abroad Aol,India Today,India Today.
What has Trump said publicly?
Trump told reporters that the United States would get Iran’s highly enriched uranium and would not let Iran keep it, adding that it would probably be destroyed after the U.S. obtained it Aol,News18,MoneyControl.
What remains unresolved now?
The main unresolved issue is whether Iran will retain its enriched uranium stockpile inside the country, since that position conflicts with a core U.S. demand; reports also say talks continue indirectly and no final deal has been reached News18,India Today,Yahoo! Finance.
View all 100 sources
Wire services (6)
Independent coverage (50)
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