The US administration has proposed that Iran hand over its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium to a third country, presumably Russia, as part of efforts to prevent an escalation of the conflict over Tehran's nuclear program, The Guardian reported, citing the results of talks held on April 12, 2025, in Muscat, the capital of Oman. Washington's initiative is aimed at reducing Iran's nuclear potential, which, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has accumulated enough uranium enriched to 60% to build several nuclear weapons. However, Iran is categorically opposed to the removal of the stockpiles, insisting on storing them domestically under IAEA supervision as a guarantee in the event of a possible US withdrawal from a future agreement.

The Muscat talks were the first attempt to resume dialogue on the nuclear deal since Donald Trump returned to the US presidency. The US delegation was led by US Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff, while the Iranian delegation was led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. The meeting was held mainly indirectly through Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, although direct contacts between Witkoff and Araghchi also took place. Both sides described the talks as productive, agreeing to continue the discussions on 19 April in Rome under the auspices of the Italian government. Iran has stressed that it does not intend to completely curtail its nuclear programme, viewing it as a national security tool, especially after the US withdrew from the 2015 agreement (JCPOA) in 2018.

The U.S. offer to hand over the uranium has raised concerns in Tehran that if the deal breaks down again, Iran would have to start enriching from scratch, which is seen as a strategic risk. Washington, by contrast, sees the removal of the stockpile as a way to limit Iran’s ability to build nuclear weapons, which remains a priority for the Trump administration. The talks are complicated by pressure from Israel to completely dismantle Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and internal divisions in Iran, where hardliners oppose any concessions.