US President Donald Trump has stated unequivocally that the nuclear deal currently being discussed with Iran will not allow any uranium enrichment.
“The AUTOPEN [the device he uses to sign executive orders] should have stopped Iran a long time ago from “enriching”. Under our potential Agreement — WE WILL NOT ALLOW ANY ENRICHMENT OF URANIUM!” Trump posted on social media.
The statement came shortly after Israeli news outlet Walla, citing two sources familiar with the deal, reported that Washington was open to permitting Iran limited, low-level uranium enrichment for an unspecified duration.
That report conflicted with earlier reassurances from senior administration officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who is leading the US-Iran talks, that no uranium enrichment would be permitted.
Enrichment is the process of increasing the concentration of uranium in nuclear fuel, increasing its potency to the degree required for use in nuclear facilities.
Iran’s stock of enriched uranium, and continuing enrichment activities, have long been a point of contention in the negotiations. Critics, including Israel, claim Tehran is building up the material required for a nuclear bomb, while Iranian officials insist they need uranium fuel for civilian nuclear power projects.
Enrichment limits were set in the 2015 nuclear deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), but these were breached some years ago.
On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi said he would reject any deal that didn't recognise the Islamic Republic's right to enrich uranium, according to the country’s Tasnim News Agency.
Speaking at a joint press conference with his Egyptian counterpart in Cairo, Aragchi said Iran would soon respond to the US proposal.
It comes after reports suggested that the deal could force Iran to dilute its enriched stock, potentially by selling it to the US.
The regime is reportedly willing to include commitments to reserve fuel only for civilian energy and new enrichment restrictions in exchange for the lifting of US sanctions and the release of frozen profits from oil exports currently held in Qatar.
However, scepticism remains strong in Jerusalem, with Trump even having to warn Israel off striking Iranian nuclear facilities last week as negotiations came to a head.
