Iranian Official Says U.S. Has Agreed to Let Tehran Cut Enriched Uranium Stockpile

A senior Iranian official told Reuters on Sunday that the United States has agreed to let Iran reduce its stockpile of enriched uranium, as a Qatari mediation team was in Tehran trying to complete efforts toward a deal with Washington. The official said the emerging memorandum of understanding would also include a limited U.S. suspension of oil sanctions on Iran, the release of $25 billion in frozen Iranian assets, and a commitment by Iran not to possess nuclear weapons.

According to the same official, Washington would not impose new sanctions on Iran until a final agreement is reached. He said the U.S. would suspend enforcement of oil sanctions and allow Tehran to receive the revenue from oil sales, while the frozen assets would be unlocked through direct cash transfers, regional cooperation, and financial credit lines. On the nuclear issue, he said Iran would pledge not to produce or obtain nuclear weapons, keep the nuclear status quo until a final deal, avoid uranium enrichment and expansion of its nuclear facilities, and discuss over 60 days a mechanism for diluting its enriched uranium.

An adviser to Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the Iranian parliament speaker and lead negotiator, said the memorandum also includes a halt to hostilities and security guarantees, a complete stop to military actions against Iran and Lebanon, and a ban on any new military action. He added that some frozen assets would be released at the start of implementation, that the first stage of the deal does not include the nuclear issue, and that easing the movement of Iranian commercial vessels and lifting the maritime blockade are part of the package. He also said Washington must fulfill initial commitments before talks on nuclear issues begin, while the easing of major and secondary U.S. sanctions is in its final stage.

After President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the agreement would be signed later on Sunday, Israeli officials expressed concern that the reported terms do not address issues they see as central, including Iran’s nuclear program, ballistic missiles, and support for proxy groups such as Hezbollah and the Houthis. They said the deal threatens Israel’s security interests. The security and political cabinet is due to meet Sunday evening, and Jerusalem officials privately acknowledged over the weekend that even with talks between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump, Israel’s ability to influence the outcome is very limited. Israeli sources said any deal with Iran would be a bad one, and the reported terms would make it especially bad.