NYT Says Iran Agreed to Give Up Highly Enriched Uranium in Initial Deal, a Key Hurdle in Ceasefire Talks

President Donald Trump said on May 23 that a ceasefire deal with Iran was close. U.S. officials have also said an initial agreement would include Iran giving up its highly enriched uranium.

The New York Times reported on May 23, citing multiple U.S. officials, that Washington demanded Iran relinquish its highly enriched uranium as part of an initial agreement and that Tehran accepted.

The officials added that details on how Iran's uranium stockpile would be handled have not been finalized. That issue is to be taken up in later negotiations over Iran's nuclear program.

That suggests a framework under consideration would first secure an agreement on the stockpile and leave the broader nuclear-program dispute for follow-up talks.

The report came after a Pakistani mediation team visited Tehran on May 22 for a series of high-level contacts with Iranian officials. Trump also said he had been in touch with Middle Eastern countries and signaled that a ceasefire agreement was near.

Even so, it remains unclear how close the two sides are to an understanding on the main ceasefire terms they have disputed for weeks. Those include Iran's nuclear program, a halt to regional attacks including Israeli strikes on Lebanon, and restoring normal passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

The handling of Iran's highly enriched uranium stockpile is the biggest sticking point in the ceasefire talks. Iran has about 440 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60%, and Trump has repeatedly said the U.S. would secure that stockpile. Forcing Iran to surrender near-weapons-grade uranium and placing it under U.S. control could help blunt criticism over a prolonged war.

Under the nuclear deal reached during former President Barack Obama's administration, Iran transferred its stockpile to Russia. If the Trump administration instead brings it to the U.S., that could also be presented as a symbolic achievement.

Iran, however, has strongly rejected such scenarios. For Tehran, handing its highly enriched uranium to the U.S. could be seen as capitulation.

Iran has therefore opposed including the uranium issue in an initial agreement and has demanded that it be deferred to a second phase of negotiations.

The New York Times also reported that U.S. negotiators had pressed through the mediating country that they would withdraw from the talks and resume military operations unless there was an initial agreement on the uranium stockpile.

U.S. military officials recently presented Trump with several options for striking Iran's uranium stockpile, according to the report. One included using bunker-buster bombs to hit the Isfahan nuclear facility where the uranium is believed to be stored.

Trump wrote on Truth Social on May 23 that final coordination on details was underway and that reopening the Strait of Hormuz would be part of the agreement. He did not specify what had been agreed or what obstacles remained.

Axios, citing a source, reported that the mediating country had prepared a one-page framework agreement and was considering announcing it as early as May 24, with detailed coordination to follow within days.

Iran has yet to issue an official response to Trump's announcement.

Ko Jung-sam, Hankyung.com reporter jsk@hankyung.com