Negotiations between the United States and Iran have reached a stalemate. There are significant differences between the two sides regarding uranium enrichment issues. The United States insists that Iran should stop its uranium enrichment activities and abandon its enriched uranium stockpiles. In contrast, Iran refuses to make any concessions to the United States.
Recently, there have been reports suggesting that Iran may be transporting enriched uranium to China or Russia. According to an article by the Associated Press on May 27th, regarding these rumors, U.S. President Donald Trump responded during a cabinet meeting by saying that he would not accept any arrangement in which Iran would transport enriched uranium to China and Russia. Trump added that the United States is not satisfied with the current negotiation process, and he hopes to reach a perfect agreement.
Russian President Putin previously suggested that Iran could transfer enriched uranium to Russia. Russian Presidents press secretary Peskov said on April 15 that Russia had planned to receive enriched uranium from Iran. This might have been a good solution, but the United States rejected this proposal.
Recently, Arab Satellite TV also posted an article on social media, citing an anonymous source. According to this source, before reaching an agreement with the United States to end the war, Iran is seeking guarantees from China regarding the transportation of enriched uranium to China.
Trump posted a statement on social media on the 25th, stating that Irans uranium enrichment stockpile would be destroyed. This destruction could take place either in the United States or within Iran, or in other acceptable locations. However, regarding the idea of Iran transporting enriched uranium to China or Russia, Trump said at a meeting of his cabinet in the White House on the 27th: No, such arrangements wont satisfy me.
Trump stated that he believes the United States and Iran can reach a good agreement at present. However, he prefers to achieve a great agreement. It must be perfect. Im doing all this not to get a poor agreement.
May 27th, Washington, D.C., U.S. President Trump attended a cabinet meeting at the White House. Photo provided by IC.
However, Trump refused to lift sanctions against Iran. He said, Without lifting the sanctions, we wont give them any money. Nothing will happen. We have control over the money that they claim belongs to them. We will continue to keep control of this money. When they abide by the rules and do the right things, we will give them back their money. But for now, we wont do so.
When discussing the issue of the Strait of Hormuz, Trump stated that he would not accept any short-term agreements that allow Iran to control the Strait. The Strait will be open to everyone. We will oversee it, but no one can control it. This is part of our negotiations.
Trump insisted that Iran very much wants to reach an agreement, but the United States is not satisfied with the current proposal. He said, So far, they havent achieved their goals, and we are not satisfied with that. But we will be satisfied in the end. Either we reach an agreement, or we will resolve this issue. American media believe that Trump is hinting at the possibility of resuming air strikes against Iran.
U.S. Secretary of State Rubio said that some progress has been made in the negotiations. He added, We will see if there can be any breakthroughs in the coming hours and days.
On May 23 local time, two American officials revealed to the New York Times that one of the key elements of the agreement between Iran and the United States is that Iran has agreed to abandon its high-enriched uranium stockpile.
Regarding this, Irans Foreign Ministry spokesman Bagheri said on the 23rd that Tehran and Washington are close to reaching a final memorandum of understanding. We are currently in the final stages of drafting this memorandum of understanding. The topics discussed at this stage mainly focus on ending the war, lifting the US naval blockade against Iran, and Irans frozen overseas assets. However, this does not involve Irans nuclear program.
The head of Irans National Security Council said on the 28th that Iran will not retreat due to remarks made by U.S. President Trump. Iran will stick to its red lines during negotiations with the United States, including maintaining its uranium enrichment capabilities and stockpiles, control over the Strait of Hormuz, and the possibility of sanctions being lifted.
Regarding the Iranian nuclear issue, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov said on the 27th that Russias proposal remains on the table. The proposal aims to transport those nuclear materials to Russia in a manner that is acceptable to all parties. These materials will ultimately be used to produce fuel for Irans nuclear reactors. However, we will not impose any conditions. We simply believe this idea is reasonable, based on our experience during the period when the Iran Nuclear Agreement came into effect.
Riabakov emphasized that the Russian side is aware of the ongoing discussions and the various speculations and ideas put forward by all parties. He added, We believe that if the agreements currently under discussion can be reached, then future actions regarding Irans high-enriched uranium will be further refined.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said on the 26th that since the outbreak of the war between the United States, Israel and Iran, China has maintained close communication with relevant parties, including Iran, and has been working hard to promote peace and stability.
Mao Ning said that China has always supported peaceful solutions to the Iranian nuclear issue through dialogue and negotiation. He expressed hope that all parties involved will seize this opportunity to reach a solution that takes into account the legitimate concerns of all parties. We are also willing to continue playing a constructive role in resolving the Iranian nuclear issue politically and diplomatically, thereby maintaining the international nuclear non-proliferation regime and promoting peace and stability in the Middle East.
