Iran Agrees to Give Up Highly Enriched Uranium: New York Times

Darwin, 24 May : Iran has agreed to give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium as part of a deal with the United States aimed at ending the war, according to a report by The New York Times.

In a report published on Sunday, the newspaper said that two US officials stated Iran had pledged in a general statement to relinquish the uranium, rather than reaching a detailed agreement on exactly how the material would be transferred to the United States.

The specific details, they said, would be determined during negotiations that would begin after a final deal is reached.

The report comes just days after Iranian sources claimed that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, had instructed officials not to send the near weapons-grade uranium abroad.

Iran currently possesses more than 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium, which Israeli officials say would be enough to produce 11 nuclear bombs if further enriched.

Earlier this month, a senior Israeli military official warned that if the uranium is not removed, the war that began in February could ultimately be viewed as “a major failure.”

Meanwhile, senior Republican senators in the United States have criticized the terms of the deal that Donald Trump is negotiating with Tehran.

The criticism from within Trump’s own party comes after indications emerged that the two sides were nearing a memorandum of understanding intended to end the war and pave the way for further negotiations.

Trump specifically said the agreement would include reopening the Strait of Hormuz, but he made no mention of Iran’s nuclear program.

However, he has repeatedly stressed that Iran must never be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons and that Tehran must give up its stockpile of 60 percent enriched uranium.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a vocal supporter of the war and chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, expressed concern over any deal terms that could allow the Iranian regime to survive.

He warned that an agreement leaving Iran in a strengthened position in the region would become “a nightmare for Israel.”