Iran agreed not to store enriched uranium

Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi revealed, on Saturday, that Iran had agreed in its indirect talks with the United States never to maintain any stock of enriched uranium, in a step he described as a “breakthrough” that might spare the region the specter of war.

Al-Busaidi said, in an interview with the “Face the Nation” program on CBS, “This is a completely new thing. It makes the debate about enrichment less important, because we are now talking about zero storage.”

The administration of US President Donald Trump accuses Tehran of seeking to possess a nuclear weapon, but the Omani minister explained: “If you cannot store enriched materials, there will be no way to actually make a bomb.”

Al Busaidi’s statements came after discussions he held at the White House with US Vice President J.D. Vance, which dealt with bilateral relations between the two countries, in addition to developments in the indirect US-Iranian negotiations sponsored by the Sultanate of Oman.

During the meeting, Al-Busaidi stressed that the talks achieved “major, important and unprecedented progress” that could form the basis for a fair and sustainable agreement that guarantees the peaceful nature of the Iranian nuclear program.

He also expressed his appreciation for the diplomatic efforts made by the participating parties, pointing to “creative and constructive ideas and proposals” that contributed to bringing viewpoints closer together, stressing Muscat’s continued support of dialogue and facilitating rapprochement between the parties.

In turn, the US Vice President appreciated the role played by the Sultanate of Oman in mediation, praising its efforts to enhance opportunities for understanding and address regional issues through the diplomatic track.