The United States and Iran are negotiating a trilateral plan to end the conflict, with one of the elements being discussed being that Washington would release $20 billion of frozen Iranian assets in exchange for Iran giving up its enriched uranium stockpiles, according to a US official familiar with the talks, writes the Axios portal, quoted by Focus.
Sources of the publication emphasize that one of the main priorities of the administration of US President Donald Trump is to ensure that Iran will not have access to enriched uranium stocks.
The issue is about 2,000 kg of enriched uranium hidden in Iranian underground nuclear facilities, including up to 450 kg of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity.
Uranium and frozen Iranian assets
The parties are negotiating what will happen to the uranium stockpile and how much of the Iranian assets will be unfrozen. They are also discussing the conditions under which Iran can use the funds.
Earlier in the negotiations, the United States was ready to provide Iran with $6 billion to buy food, medicine and other humanitarian goods, according to the sources. However, the Iranians have requested $27 billion.
According to the compromise proposal currently being discussed, some of the highly enriched uranium will be sent to a third country, and another part will be diluted in Iran under international supervision.
As a reminder, on April 12, Trump announced that the talks with Iran in Pakistan ''went well''“. According to him, the countries managed to agree on many things, but the issue of nuclear weapons was never resolved.
Yesterday, April 16, Trump said that Tehran had agreed not to possess nuclear weapons for the next 20 years.