News:
Negotiations between Washington and Tehran have entered a final test of wills after President Trump pledged to obtain Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium and prevent Tehran from keeping it, opposite an Iranian position reported by Reuters and confirmed by Saudi channel Al Hadath, citing two senior Iranian sources, that Iran’s Supreme Leader had ordered the stockpile not to leave the country.
Trump said the United States would get the stockpile, adding that Washington does not need it and does not want it, but would not allow Iran to keep it.
Details
• Washington is demanding that Iran’s highly enriched uranium be removed from the country under any potential agreement, while Tehran believes transferring the stockpile abroad would make it more vulnerable to future U.S. or Israeli strikes.
• The International Atomic Energy Agency estimated that, before the June 2025 strikes, Iran held around 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60%, while the size of the remaining stockpile remains unclear.
• Israeli officials told Reuters that Trump had assured Israel any agreement must include removing the stockpile from Iran, making the nuclear file a direct test for the ongoing mediation.
• On Hormuz, the U.S. secretary of state said no one supports a tolling system, and that it would be a threat to the world and illegal.
• Specialized maritime reports indicate that Iran is moving toward a mechanism to manage traffic and tolls through a new body called the Persian Gulf Strait Authority.
• Pakistan is trying to keep the mediation track alive, while Trump said he was prepared to wait a few days for the right answers from Tehran.
• Economically, oil prices returned to volatility as the dispute over Hormuz and uranium escalated, amid fears of prolonged disruption to shipping and energy flows in the region.
What’s Next?
The negotiations now appear trapped between two red lines: Washington wants the uranium removed and Hormuz reopened without tolls, while Tehran wants to keep the stockpile and turn the strait into a sovereign and economic pressure card.
