Trump shuts down proposal to allow Iran's civilian nuclear enrichment

US President Donald Trump on Monday seems to have rejected a proposal from his special envoy to Iran that would have allowed Tehran to retain low-level uranium enrichment for civilian purposes. Trump insisted that any deal to ease US sanctions must require Iran to fully dismantle its nuclear enrichment program.

“Under our potential Agreement — WE WILL NOT ALLOW ANY ENRICHMENT OF URANIUM!” Trump posted on social media but there is no clarification whether he was talking about the proposal or not.

Trump’s stance appeared to contradict recent efforts by his envoy, Steve Witkoff, who had reportedly offered Iran the option to continue limited enrichment for uses like nuclear medicine and power, in exchange for shutting down its heavily fortified underground sites.
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The proposal also included a regional consortium to oversee civilian uranium enrichment, a concept dating back to negotiations around the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Tehran has denied it is seeking nuclear weapons but has refused to consider any deal that completely ends its enrichment activities. The US and Iran have recently held several rounds of direct nuclear talks, the first in years, as Trump has framed a deal as the best way to avoid military conflict.

The latest proposal reportedly included significant concessions that could provoke strong opposition from Israel and pro-Israel lawmakers in Washington. Trump had sharply criticized the 2015 nuclear agreement and withdrew the US from it in 2017 during his first term.