A senior Iranian official has made clear that transferring the country's enriched uranium abroad — a core sticking point in negotiations — is unacceptable, even as observers say end-of-war talks between the United States and Iran are entering their final stretch.
According to CNN on Saturday, Ebrahim Azizi, chairman of the Iranian Parliament's National Security Committee, said in an interview with Russia's RIA Novosti news agency that "Iran has no intention of transferring enriched uranium to a third country."
The U.S. and Iran are reported to have tentatively agreed on a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that would extend the ceasefire by 60 days and resume negotiations on Iran's nuclear program. The draft reportedly includes provisions for the two countries to normalize navigation in the Strait of Hormuz during the two-month grace period and to launch full-fledged nuclear talks.
U.S. President Donald Trump held a meeting in the White House Situation Room lasting more than two hours regarding the end-of-war negotiations, but has yet to disclose his final position, including whether he will accept the negotiation proposal.
The handling of highly enriched uranium (HEU) is regarded as the most difficult issue in the talks. The two sides are sharply divided over how to dispose of approximately 450 kilograms of HEU enriched to about 60 percent purity that Iran possesses.
Trump previously announced the convening of the Situation Room meeting and cited, as one of his demands, a plan to identify and dispose of HEU inside Iran under U.S. leadership. On the 25th, he indicated he could also accept disposal inside Iran or in a third country.
Analysts say this shows that disagreements between the two countries over the nuclear issue — the biggest obstacle to the end-of-war negotiations — have yet to be resolved.
