The war between the United States and Iran, which has severely destabilized the Middle East, is finally entering its closing stages. With U.S. President Donald Trump declaring that a definitive breakthrough is imminent, it has been confirmed that both nations have reached a dramatic initial agreement on the most contentious issue of the peace talks: Iran surrendering its highly enriched uranium stockpile.
The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 23rd (local time), citing multiple senior U.S. officials, that "Iran has ultimately accepted the U.S. demand to relinquish its enriched uranium stockpile as a prerequisite for ending the war." Iran, which has long regarded its nuclear program as the regime’s ultimate shield, appears to have finally blinked under unrelenting military and diplomatic pressure from Washington.
Currently, Iran is estimated to possess approximately 440 kilograms of 60% highly enriched uranium, a level dangerously close to weapons-grade. Since the early stages of the conflict, President Trump has repeatedly vowed that the U.S. would secure this specific stockpile. Extracting these near-weapons-grade materials from Iranian hands is deemed essential for Trump to swiftly neutralize domestic public criticism over the prolonged conflict in the Middle East.
Under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) signed during the Barack Obama administration, Iran had shipped its uranium stockpile to Russia. However, if the Trump administration succeeds in transferring these materials directly to the U.S. mainland under this new pact, it will be heralded as a historic and symbolic triumph for Trump's foreign policy.
Initially, Tehran fiercely resisted such a scenario. Relinquishing its uranium stockpile directly to the U.S. could easily be interpreted by the international community as an "unconditional surrender," dealing a devastating blow to the regime's political survival. Consequently, Iran adamantly demanded that the uranium issue be excluded from the initial text and deferred to a "Phase 2" detailed negotiation.
However, the American pressure was relentless and unflinching. According to the NYT, U.S. negotiators delivered a stern ultimatum through mediators, such as Pakistan, warning that Washington would immediately walk away from the negotiating table and resume full-scale military operations unless Iran committed to abandoning its uranium stockpile in the initial framework.
In fact, U.S. military leadership recently presented President Trump with several precise airstrike options designed to completely decimate Iran’s remaining nuclear capabilities. These options reportedly included utilizing massive bunker-buster bombs to obliterate underground vaults at the Isfahan nuclear facility, where the uranium is hidden and stored. The strategic release of U.S. satellite imagery showing the Isfahan facility already heavily damaged by previous American strikes is believed to have applied immense psychological pressure on Iranian leadership.
As this brinkmanship yielded results, the countdown to peace accelerated. President Trump indicated on his social media platform, Truth Social, that the finality of the pact is within reach, stating, "Final details are currently being closely coordinated," and adding that "as part of the deal, the Strait of Hormuz—a vital global choke point for oil transit—will finally be fully reopened."
U.S. media outlet Axios also cited diplomatic sources revealing that the mediating team has already drafted a "one-page framework agreement" that bridges the core differences between the two nations. The two sides are expected to unexpectedly announce this foundational agreement as early as the 24th, followed by a week of intense negotiations to thrash out complex technicalities, including the exact transport route for the uranium and the scope of a cessation of Israeli military actions across the Middle East.
Nonetheless, while a macro-level agreement has been reached on "relinquishing" the uranium stockpile, verifying the exact methods of extraction and disposal remains a formidable hurdle. Furthermore, potential last-minute friction cannot be ruled out as both nations attempt to finalize deeply entangled geopolitical interests, including securing guarantees for Israel to halt its military strikes in Lebanon and other parts of the region.
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