Iran refuses to accept crucial US condition in potential deal, Reuters reports
Photo: Iranian military personnel stand in front of an image of missiles and a map of Iran (Getty Images)
Iran has rejected transferring its stockpile of highly enriched uranium and said the issue was not part of any preliminary understanding with the United States, according to Reuters.
According to a senior Iranian source cited by the agency, Tehran's nuclear program will be discussed during negotiations on a final agreement between the two sides.
"The nuclear issue will be addressed in negotiations for a final agreement and are therefore not part of the current deal," the Reuters source said.
The source also denied reports that Iran had agreed to move its stockpile of highly enriched uranium out of the country.
"There has been no agreement over Iran's highly enriched uranium stockpile to be shipped out of the country," the Tehran official added.
US-Iran negotiations
In recent days, the United States and Iran have intensified talks on a possible agreement concerning Tehran's nuclear program. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the sides are discussing a "memorandum of understanding" as a first step, after which they could move toward a broader agreement within 30 to 60 days.
US President Donald Trump previously said that a future deal was "largely agreed upon" and that only certain details remained to be finalized. One of the key issues in the negotiations was said to be the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of global oil and gas supplies passed before the war.
However, Iranian state media later rejected Trump's claims that the Strait of Hormuz would be fully opened. Tehran said that control over the route, shipping permits, and vessel transit procedures would remain exclusively in Iran's hands.
