Diplomatic negotiations between the Trump administration and Iran have progressed to discussions about establishing a nuclear consortium that would provide enriched uranium for Tehran's civilian reactors, according to CNN reporting on the ongoing talks.
The potential consortium under consideration would involve Middle Eastern nations alongside the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency to supply uranium for Iran's nuclear facilities, CNN reported, citing sources familiar with the discussions. However, White House officials emphasized that no final agreements have been reached concerning Iran's civilian nuclear energy infrastructure.
Video: Trump on emerging Iran deal / Credit: White House YouTube
Current negotiations deliberately exclude Iran's ballistic missile capabilities, despite initial efforts by some administration officials to incorporate missile discussions into the broader talks, CNN noted. Given the advanced stage of negotiations, sources indicated little expectation for expanding the scope of topics under discussion.
United States Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff previously characterized non-nuclear issues as "secondary" concerns during a May interview with Breitbart. "We don't want to confuse the nuclear discussion because that to us is the existential issue," Witkoff stated at the time.
Following recent Rome negotiations, both sides have presented the latest proposals to their respective national leadership for review and are planning additional meetings, likely in the Middle East, CNN reported. The objective involves reaching a comprehensive agreement at the next session that establishes implementation benchmarks while setting the stage for subsequent technical discussions.
"I want it very strong where we can go in with inspectors. We can take whatever we want, we can blow up whatever we want, but nobody getting killed. We can blow up a lab, but nobody's going to be in the lab, as opposed to everybody being in the lab and blowing it up," President Donald Trump said on Wednesday.
Witkoff and Michael Anton, the director of policy planning at the State Department, have spearheaded negotiations alongside a technical team developing specific agreement details, CNN noted. Sources expect the technical team to assume greater responsibility once negotiators achieve a broad framework agreement.
Despite Trump's recent statements about expecting "good news" in the near future, the negotiation process has encountered obstacles, according to CNN. During the fourth round of talks, the US presented Iran with a proposal outlining key Trump administration requirements, but sources revealed that Trump rejected one idea that had garnered support from negotiators on both sides.
While Trump projects optimism about reaching a deal, he cautioned Wednesday that circumstances remain fluid, telling reporters the situation "could change at any moment – could change with a phone call," CNN reported.
