A senior U.S. administration official told Reuters that the emerging deal with Iran would accept enriched uranium remaining inside the country under a supervision regime, and that compliance would lead to economic rewards, according to Israeli media.
A senior U.S. administration official told Reuters that the Trump administration is prepared to allow Iran to retain enriched uranium under a supervision regime as part of a nuclear deal, rather than requiring its removal from the country — a shift from earlier stated positions. The official said the agreement "ensures long-term peace in the region" and includes a monitoring framework; if Iran complies with the requirements, it will be economically rewarded. The remarks add new detail to the emerging U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding that has been the subject of intensive diplomacy in recent days.
This latest account diverges sharply from the terms senior U.S. officials had publicly described throughout the day. At 16:55 Jerusalem, a senior White House official told Fox News that the framework demands the destruction and removal of all enriched uranium and the dismantlement of the nuclear program. At the same time, reports from Reuters, Israel Hayom, and Adamker — all carrying the 16:55 timestamp — each quoted senior administration officials asserting identical hardline terms: total uranium destruction, no funds before compliance, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and a ban on terrorist financing. At 18:53 Jerusalem, an Israel Hayom report reiterated that the deal requires destruction and removal of all nuclear material.
The new position — allowing enriched uranium to remain under supervision — echoes an Axios report The Zioneer covered at 08:24 Jerusalem, which said the MOU leaves the stockpile resolution to a second-stage deal and that President Trump had agreed that dilution inside Iran under UN supervision was one option. It also aligns with an Israeli assessment The Zioneer reported at 20:12 Jerusalem, that Trump may accept diluted enrichment over removal. By contrast, Trump committed to Prime Minister Netanyahu at 23:23 Jerusalem on June 11 that the final agreement would require removal of enriched material, as The Zioneer reported.
The contradiction between the terms a senior official described to Reuters — permitting enrichment to remain — and the multiple, simultaneous hardline briefings from other senior U.S. officials remains unresolved in the public record. It is unclear whether the Reuters account reflects a genuine evolution in U.S. negotiating posture, a disagreement within the administration, or a misunderstanding of a staged framework.
8 developments
- DevelopingSenior US official: 'We think we have a deal' on Iran
- StrongSenior US official: agreement reached on destruction of enriched uranium, confident Israel will cooperate
- StrongUS officials release text of imminent Iran deal — uranium stays in Iran, analysts warn
- DevelopingSenior Iranian official tells Reuters: US agrees Iran can dilute enriched uranium on its soil
Source and signal
- Open-source intake