Compromise over uranium stockpile?
Despite the hardened rhetoric, Iranian officials suggested that possible compromises remain under discussion.
One Iranian source said Tehran may consider reducing the sensitivity of its uranium stockpile by diluting part of it under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency rather than sending it abroad.
“There are solutions like diluting the stockpile under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency,” the source said.
Before the war, Iran had reportedly signaled willingness to export roughly half of its uranium enriched to 60%, but that position shifted after repeated threats from Trump of possible military action.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has maintained that the conflict cannot fully end unless Iran’s enriched uranium is removed, Tehran halts support for regional proxy groups, and its ballistic missile program is dismantled.
The IAEA estimated before the conflict that Iran possessed approximately 440 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60%. It remains unclear how much survived subsequent strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossisaid earlier this year that much of the remaining stockpile was believed to be stored in underground facilities near Isfahan and Natanz.
Iran argues that part of its highly enriched uranium is intended for civilian purposes, including medical research and a Tehran-based reactor that operates using uranium enriched to around 20%.
As negotiations continue, the future of Iran’s uranium stockpile appears set to remain one of the most contentious issues standing between a lasting ceasefire and renewed conflict in the Middle East.
(Source: Reuters)
