Because the diplomatic push to resume ceasefire talks between america and Iran continues, Washington and Tehran have additionally been negotiating a deal on Iran’s uranium enrichment.
Iran’s present stockpile of enriched uranium — and its capacity to counterpoint additional — have been central parts of the long-standing demand by the administration of US President Donald Trump that Tehran not solely decide to not constructing a nuclear weapon, but additionally quit the flexibility to take action.
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Now, in response to a number of US media reviews, particular variations concerning Iran’s nuclear enrichment have emerged as a vital stumbling block in negotiations between the 2 nations geared toward ending their struggle.
Excessive-powered groups from the US and Iran met in Islamabad, Pakistan, over the weekend, however didn’t comply with a deal. Pakistan is trying to get each side to return to a second spherical of talks.
The breakdown in talks in Pakistan over the weekend occurred over a US insistence that Iran droop its uranium enrichment programme for 20 years in trade for sanctions reduction, adopted by Tehran’s refusal to comply with a moratorium on enrichment past 5 years.
So why are Iran and the US arguing over the length of uranium enrichment? Will it impression ceasefire talks?
Right here’s what we all know:
What does uranium enrichment imply?
Uranium is a naturally occurring radioactive materials present in rocks, soil, and water, which, when enriched, is used as a supply of gas for nuclear reactors.
It comes within the type of three pure isotopes (chemical parts that comprise equal numbers of protons however completely different numbers of neutrons of their nuclei): uranium-234 (U-234), uranium-235 (U-235) and uranium-238 (U-238). U-235 is very radioactive; the opposite isotopes will not be.
In line with the United Nations’ atomic power watchdog, the Worldwide Atomic Power Company (IAEA), uranium enrichment is “the method by way of which the isotopic proportion of U-235 is elevated from 0.72 % to as much as 94 %”.
The IAEA says uranium is taken into account low-enriched if its isotopic proportion of U-235 stays beneath 20 %. That is typically utilized in civilian, business reactors to generate energy for properties and industries. It’s thought of extremely enriched if its isotopic proportion is past 20 %.
Enrichment must cross 90 % for it to be thought of weapons-grade.
Uranium additionally must be within the type of a fuel to hold out the enrichment course of, and most nations, together with Iran, use the method of spinning uranium hexafluoride as a way to enrich it. This entails feeding the fuel into fast-spinning centrifuges. The lighter U-235 separates from the heavier U-238.
The helpful enriched uranium-235 is then captured for nuclear gas.
How a lot enriched uranium does Iran have?
Presently, Iran is believed to have about 440kg (970 kilos) of uranium enriched to 60 % – the extent at which it turns into a lot quicker to get to the 90 % threshold wanted to supply a nuclear weapon.
That quantity is sufficient, theoretically, to supply greater than 10 nuclear warheads, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi advised Al Jazeera in early March. He added that nearly half of the 60-percent-enriched uranium was most likely nonetheless in an underground tunnel complicated at Iran’s Isfahan nuclear facility.
An unknown amount can be believed to be saved on the Natanz facility. These two underground nuclear websites, together with a 3rd at Fordow, have been destroyed or badly broken in US-Israeli air strikes within the 12-day struggle in June 2025, and have been focused once more throughout the present battle.
It’s unclear whether or not these stockpiles are buried underneath rubble — and what situation the enriched uranium is in.
What’s the concern with Iran’s uranium enrichment programme?
Iran has at all times maintained that its uranium enrichment programme is for civilian power functions solely, regardless of having enriched uranium far past the brink required for that.
Israel and the US have repeatedly accused Iran of enriching uranium to develop nuclear weapons. The US and its allies, particularly Europe, have slapped a number of rounds of sanctions on the nation.
In 2015, Iran struck a pact with world powers negotiated by then-US President Barack Obama, known as the Joint Complete Plan of Motion (JCPOA). Beneath the pact, Tehran agreed to scale down its nuclear programme in trade for reduction from sanctions.
However in 2018, throughout his first time period as president, Trump pulled the US out of the pact, calling it “one-sided” and reimposing sanctions on Iran.
Since then, Trump has repeatedly mentioned that Iran mustn’t have the flexibility to supply nuclear weapons. It has been considered one of Washington’s major acknowledged calls for throughout talks with Iranian officers over the previous yr, and was additionally the central justification that Washington used when it bombed Iranian nuclear amenities throughout the 12-day struggle final yr.
It’s also one of many causes the US acknowledged whereas beginning the struggle on Iran in February of this yr, regardless of being in lively negotiations over uranium enrichment with the nation on the time.
Trump has reportedly been contemplating dispatching US particular forces to Iran to grab the nation’s stockpile of extremely enriched uranium.
Iranian officers have acknowledged they’re open to discussing lowering the extent of enrichment in previous negotiations, however have refused to dismantle Iran’s nuclear programme fully.
Why does the length of Iran’s uranium enrichment ban matter?
In line with US media shops, the ceasefire talks in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad collapsed and not using a deal because of variations over Iran’s nuclear programme, with Washington pushing for a 20-year suspension and Iran proposing a five-year one.
MV Ramana, professor in Disarmament, World and Human Safety on the College of British Columbia, advised Al Jazeera that the present dialogue about how lengthy Iran ought to droop enriching uranium is primarily a means of bargaining.
“Each the US and Iranian governments have staked quite a lot of political capital on Iran’s enrichment programme. The dispute in recent times and months has been that Trump needed Iran to utterly abandon the programme, and Iran refusing to ever do this,” he mentioned.
“Now they’ve moved a bit of from that place and are attempting to stake out positions which can be considerably nearer to one another. Past that, I can not discern any technical causes for both 20 or 5 years,” he added.
Beneath the JCPOA, Iran agreed to cap its U-235 enrichment ranges to three.67 % — ranges sufficient to gas civil nuclear crops just like the one at Bushehr, however far beneath what is required for weapons — for 15 years. It additionally agreed to not construct new centrifuges for 10 years, and to cut back the variety of present centrifuges over that decade. Enrichment — as much as 3.67 % — was solely permitted on the Natanz facility. And Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile could be saved underneath 300kg (660 kilos).
On the level when Trump unilaterally withdrew from the JCPOA, Iran was totally compliant with its commitments, in response to the IAEA and US intelligence businesses.
Eight years later, the JCPOA’s phrases may be not less than partly accountable for the wrangling over the length for which Iran agrees to cap its enrichment programme, mentioned Ian Lesser, distinguished fellow on the German Marshall Fund of america.
“On the time, he [Trump] and different critics felt the 10-year horizon was too brief. So it’s not stunning that each side ought to pursue presenting a ‘higher deal’ from their views,” Lesser mentioned.
In different phrases, Iran desires to decide to a interval of lower than 10 years, and the US to a interval longer than a decade.
After the primary spherical of ceasefire talks concluded and not using a deal over the weekend, US Vice President JD Vance — who led his nation’s delegation — advised journalists that “the ball is within the Iranian court docket”.
“It’s one factor for the Iranians to say that they’re not going to have a nuclear weapon. It’s one other factor for us to place in place the mechanism to make sure that’s not going to occur,” he mentioned.
Chris Featherstone, a political scientist on the College of York, advised Al Jazeera that Iran is understandably eager about providing the fewest concessions to the US of their negotiations.
“For the US, they’ve lengthy held the view that Iran ought to be prevented from acquiring nuclear weapons. As such, they wish to guarantee Iran commits to not enriching uranium for so long as attainable. Importantly, the longer that Iran goes with out enriching uranium, the harder it’s to restart the method,” Featherstone defined.
He added that for Trump, it’s additionally all about with the ability to justify his claims that he’s successful the struggle.
“Iran committing to not enriching uranium for so long as attainable may be seen as a ‘success’,” Featherstone mentioned. “And he can show that he has achieved one thing with this struggle.”
