400kg uranium, can make many nuclear bombs; Is Iran really leaving now? Movement intensifies in Middle East

Amidst the long-running tension and military confrontation in the Middle East, the ongoing peace talks between Iran and America now appear to be reaching a decisive point. According to US media reports, Tehran has agreed to give up its uranium reserves as part of a comprehensive peace deal. This step is considered very important towards reducing tension and controlling the nuclear crisis.

US President Donald Trump had recently indicated that the process of finalizing a major agreement between Washington and Tehran is in the final stages. The purpose of this possible agreement is not only to stop the ongoing war in the Middle East, but also to completely reopen the strategically important Hormuz.

What is the claim of American media?

US officials have revealed that Iran has agreed to give up its stockpile of nearly weapons-grade enriched uranium, The New York Times reports. However, detailed discussions are still pending on how this process will be carried out. It is being told that in the upcoming round of nuclear talks, it will be decided whether Iran will hand over this uranium to any other country, dilute it or make it inert in some other way.

How much uranium does Iran have?

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran currently has about 400 kilograms of uranium, which has been enriched by 60 percent. Experts believe that this level is considered very close to weapons manufacturing. Israeli officials have warned many times that if this uranium is further purified, many nuclear bombs can be made from it. This is the reason why this issue remained one of the biggest obstacles in US-Iran talks.

According to reports, the US administration put pressure on Iran to give a clear commitment regarding uranium reserves in the initial agreement itself. Washington had indicated that if Tehran did not give concrete assurances on this issue, the talks could fail and military action could resume. After this pressure, Iran has reportedly softened its stance. Earlier, Iranian sources had claimed that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had given instructions not to send uranium reserves out of the country.

Was there going to be a major attack on Iran?

The New York Times report also said that US military planners had considered several options for targeting Iran’s nuclear stockpile in recent days. These included plans to use bunker-busting bombs to destroy uranium reserves stored underground at the Isfahan nuclear plant.

According to the report, at one time the Trump administration had also considered a joint commando operation between America and Israel, the objective of which was to recapture the uranium reserves. However, this plan was not approved due to high risk.

What was the 2015 nuclear deal?

Under the possible agreement, a model like the 2015 nuclear deal can be adopted. At that time Iran had transferred a large part of its enriched uranium to Russia. Another option is also being considered that Iran should reduce the enrichment level of uranium so much that it cannot be used in weapons manufacturing.

The proposed agreement may also include a provision for the release of Iranian assets stored abroad. According to reports, large sums of money related to reconstruction and economic aid will be released only after the final nuclear deal, so that Iran can continue the negotiation process.