Iran's enriched uranium stockpile returns as the sticking point in talks with the United States
21 October 2026
The future of Iran's enriched uranium stockpile has returned as the main point of contention in talks with the United States. Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir, described as a key negotiator, visited Tehran on 20 October 2026 and met Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei; Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian received him. Qatar is also mediating. Rezaei said not a particle of the enriched stockpile will leave Iran, while the United States wants part or all of it removed. United States Vice President JD Vance cited 60 per cent enriched fuel as a concern and President Donald Trump has called for zero uranium enrichment, while Iran maintains that enrichment is a right under the Non-Proliferation Treaty. A memorandum of understanding signed on 17 June 2026 named downblending under International Atomic Energy Agency supervision as the minimum approach for the stockpile, without specifying a quantity, a target enrichment level or a timetable, and it expired in mid-August without a comprehensive deal. The United States and Israel began their war on Iran on 28 February 2026.
In plain words
Downblending Downblending — Mixing highly enriched uranium with lower-enriched or natural uranium to reduce its enrichment level.
NPT Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons — The 1968 treaty under which non-nuclear-weapon states forgo nuclear arms in return for peaceful nuclear cooperation.