Iran insists enriched uranium stay

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has drawn a new red line in the U.S.-Iran talks: Iran’s enriched uranium must stay inside the country. That demand has emerged as one of the clearest obstacles to any agreement now under discussion between Washington and Tehran, alongside disputes over Iran’s ballistic-missile program and control of the Strait of Hormuz. Marco Rubio, the U.S. secretary of state, said on May 22 there were “good signs” in the diplomacy, but he also said any deal would be “unfeasible” if Iran moved to impose a tolling system in the strait. The result is a negotiation that now stretches well beyond the nuclear file and into sanctions, shipping and regional security. ### Why does the uranium stockpile matter so much? Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile has become a central test of whether the two sides are negotiating limits or trying to rewrite the terms of Iran’s nuclear program. Reuters, cited by U.S. News, reported on May 21 that Iranian sources said Khamenei had insisted the material must remain in Iran, even as Israeli officials said President Donald Trump had assured Israel the stockpile would be sent out of the country under any peace deal. (usnews.com) Iran says some highly enriched uranium is needed for medical purposes and for a research reactor in Tehran. The United States, Israel and other Western governments have long argued that Iran’s enrichment to 60% goes far beyond civilian needs and moves closer to weapons-grade material, which is generally around 90%, according to the same Reuters report. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons. (usnews.com) ### What is the fight over the Strait of Hormuz? The Strait of Hormuz has turned the talks into a negotiation over trade routes as well as nuclear restrictions. CNBC reported on May 22 that Rubio said there were “good signs” toward an agreement to end the conflict, but warned that no settlement could work if Iran sought permanent control over shipping through the strait by imposing tolls. (usnews.com) The House of Commons Library said around 20% of global petroleum and 20% of liquefied natural gas pass through the strait each year. Before the conflict, about 3,000 vessels used the waterway each month, making any dispute over access or fees a global economic issue as well as a regional security one. ### How wide has the agenda become? The House of Commons Library said in an April 24 briefing that the 2026 talks cover Iran’s nuclear and ballistic-missile program, U.S. sanctions and the Strait of Hormuz. (cnbc.com) That means negotiators are no longer dealing with a single technical dispute over enrichment levels, but with several linked demands that touch military deterrence and economic pressure at the same time. (commonslibrary.parliament.uk) A Congressional Research Service update dated April 9 said the current diplomacy followed a two-week ceasefire agreed on April 7 after about 40 days of conflict. The same report said attacks on and by Iran on April 8, and escalating Israeli strikes in Lebanon as of April 9, underscored how fragile the ceasefire already was. ### Who is mediating, and what happens next? Pakistan has been identified as the mediator in the current track. (commonslibrary.parliament.uk) The House of Commons Library said talks were being mediated by Pakistan after the conditional ceasefire declared on April 8, placing Islamabad at the center of the next round of contacts between Washington and Tehran. The next test is whether the parties can narrow differences on the uranium stockpile, sanctions relief and maritime security without reopening the ceasefire itself. (congress.gov) As of May 23, no final agreement had been announced, and the public positions described by Reuters, CNBC and the House of Commons Library still showed the two sides apart on the issues that would define any durable deal. (usnews.com) (commonslibrary.parliament.uk)