US officials say Tehran’s commitment to surrender its highly enriched uranium is central to the proposed agreement, though details on how it would happen remain unresolvedynet| Related TopicsIran would commit to giving up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium under a proposed agreement with the United States, according to two U.S. officials, in what could become a central element of a deal aimed at ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday that the United States was close to reaching an agreement with Iran, but did not provide details. It remained unclear what obstacles still stand in the way of a final deal.2 View gallery Mojtaba Khamenei and Donald Trump (Photo: Hamed Jafarnejad/ISNA/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS, shutterstock, AP/Alex Brandon)White House officials did not respond to requests for comment, and Iran has made no public statement on the agreement Trump described.According to U.S. officials, the proposal does not resolve exactly how Iran would surrender its stockpile. Those details would be left for a later round of talks on Tehran’s nuclear program.Still, the officials said a general commitment by Iran to give up the material, a long-standing U.S. objective, is critical to the emerging deal. Such a pledge could also be politically important if the broader agreement faces skepticism from Republicans in Congress.2 View gallery Centrifuges at Natanz (Photo: AP)Iran had initially resisted including any commitment on its highly enriched uranium stockpile in the first phase of the agreement, arguing that the issue should be delayed until a second stage of negotiations.But U.S. negotiators made clear to Iran through intermediaries that Washington would walk away from the talks and resume its military campaign unless the stockpile issue was included in the initial deal, the officials said.In recent days, U.S. military planners have developed options for Trump to bomb Iran’s stockpile, most of which is believed to be held at the Isfahan nuclear site.That site was struck by U.S. Tomahawk missiles last June, temporarily burying the highly enriched uranium, according to the officials.Comments