Iran insists enriched uranium stays

Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has ordered that Iran’s near-weapons-grade enriched uranium remain inside the country, according to two senior Iranian sources who spoke to Reuters on May 21. The directive hardens Tehran’s position at a moment when U.S. and Iranian officials say talks have intensified and some gaps have narrowed. It also cuts directly against one of Washington’s main demands: that Iran transfer its stockpile abroad as part of any agreement. The dispute leaves negotiators trying to advance diplomacy while military pressure and public threats continue around it. ### Why is the uranium stockpile the sticking point? Two senior Iranian sources told Reuters that Khamenei directed the stockpile not be sent abroad, saying the material must stay in Iran even as talks continue. The sources said the order applies to Iran’s near-weapons-grade uranium and reflects a consensus inside the Iranian establishment. Israeli officials have told Reuters that President Donald Trump had assured Israel the stockpile would be removed from Iran under any deal. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he would not consider the war over until enriched uranium is removed from Iran, Tehran ends support for proxy militias and its ballistic missile capabilities are eliminated. One Iranian source told Reuters that officials in Tehran believe shipping the material abroad would leave Iran more exposed to future attacks by the United States and Israel. Khamenei, the sources said, has the final say on major state matters. ### What are U.S. and Iranian negotiators saying now? President Donald Trump said this week he wanted the “right answers” from Iran as diplomacy intensified, NBC News reported on May 21. Iranian messaging at the same time suggested movement, with semi-official reporting saying the latest U.S. proposal had “reduced” or “narrowed” some gaps. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said last week that Tehran doubted U.S. “seriousness” and that the sides had reached a deadlock over Iran’s “enriched material,” according to Al Jazeera. (usnews.com) That places the uranium issue at the center of the current round rather than at its margins. ### How is Washington keeping pressure on Tehran during the talks? (nbcnews.com) U.S. military forces boarded an Iranian-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on May 20, saying the vessel was suspected of trying to breach the American blockade. U.S. Central Command later released the tanker and directed it to alter course, according to AP and Bloomberg reports. (aljazeera.com) Vice President JD Vance has also warned that the United States remains prepared to resume military action if diplomacy fails, according to the story summary provided for this card. That warning came as the Trump administration kept the blockade in place and continued to test Iranian compliance at sea. ### What does this mean for the next phase of talks? (pbs.org) May 21 proposals under review in Tehran suggest the talks have not collapsed, even with the stockpile dispute unresolved. Bloomberg reported that Iran was preparing a response to the latest U.S. text, while NBC said both sides were still signaling movement. The next step is the exchange of formal responses to the latest U.S. proposal. (pbs.org) Trump, Araghchi and the mediators handling the channel will determine whether negotiations continue with the uranium issue left for further bargaining or treated as a non-negotiable condition from the start. (bloomberg.com)