Proposals for Iran deal limit enrichment but preserve nuclear program – Reuters

Aproposed nuclear agreement between the United States and Iran would cap uranium enrichment and increase international oversight, but would not dismantle Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, eight sources familiar with the ongoing negotiations told Reuters.

The framework under discussion largely mirrors the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was abandoned by President Donald Trump in 2018, but includes stricter inspections, extended timelines, and expanded sunset clauses.

“Essentially, the negotiations are shaping into a ‘JCPOA 2’ with some additions that would allow Trump to present it as a victory, while Iran could still keep its right to enrichment,” said a senior Iranian official.

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The framework under discussion largely mirrors the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was abandoned by President Donald Trump in 2018, but includes stricter inspections, extended timelines, and expanded sunset clauses.

“Essentially, the negotiations are shaping into a ‘JCPOA 2’ with some additions that would allow Trump to present it as a victory, while Iran could still keep its right to enrichment,” said a senior Iranian official.

Under proposals discussed in April, Iran would cap enrichment at 3.67%, in line with JCPOA limits, and allow expanded access to its facilities for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), three Iranian officials said.

Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has set a key red line: Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile must not be reduced below levels agreed in 2015. Iran has recently enriched uranium to 60% using advanced centrifuges, far beyond what the JCPOA allowed.

Iran open to uranium exports — even to the US

As part of compromise proposals, Iran could retain a minimal enrichment capacity using 5,000 centrifuges and import additional uranium — possibly from Russia — according to a senior Iranian security official.

Iran now operates around 15,000 centrifuges, compared to the 6,000 permitted under the 2015 deal.

A regional source close to Tehran added that Iran "will keep a portion of it — diluted — inside the country while sending another portion abroad, possibly to Russia.”

According to the same source, Iran has “even floated the idea of selling enriched uranium to the United States.”

Tehran demands guarantees Trump won’t exit deal again

In exchange for limiting enrichment and accepting enhanced inspections, Tehran is seeking firm guarantees that President Trump would not again withdraw from the deal.

“We need watertight guarantees this time,” one Iranian official said. Another noted that deep mistrust remains due to the abrupt US exit in 2018.

Ballistic missile issue remains unresolved

The talks face a major sticking point over Iran’s missile program. Washington wants it addressed in the new agreement, but Iranian officials say their missile development is not up for negotiation.

“Tehran continues to reject any discussion,” said a regional security official. “The problem is that without addressing the missile issue, Trump cannot claim that the new deal goes beyond the JCPOA.”

An Iranian official previously told Reuters that Tehran may offer to refrain from building nuclear-capable missiles as a “gesture of goodwill,” but would not commit to terms exceeding the original 2015 deal.

Israel caught off guard, urges tougher terms

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was blindsided by Trump’s decision to resume talks with Iran, learning of the move less than 24 hours before a joint appearance in Washington, four sources familiar with the matter said.

Netanyahu had come to the White House in April seeking support for potential military action and was shocked to discover the US had already scheduled nuclear talks with Iran.

Israel is demanding “zero enrichment” and a Libya-style deal that would dismantle Iran’s entire nuclear infrastructure. The current proposals fall short of those expectations.

Tehran’s interim Friday prayer leader said Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei emphasizes positive aspects during national tragedies to keep the public from despair.

“In every unforeseen disaster that affects the nation, the Leader not only offers condolences and empathy but also highlights the positive aspects, so people remain hopeful and engaged,” Kazem Seddiqi said on Friday, referring to last week's explosion at Shahid Rajaei port.

Seddiqi added that judicial and security authorities are investigating possible negligence related to the blast, under special orders from the judiciary chief.

Russia’s envoy to international organizations, Mikhail Ulyanov, emphasized the importance of continued diplomacy after the postponement of the fourth round of US-Iran nuclear talks.

Oman and Iran said the talks were delayed for “logistical reasons.” In response to a social media user questioning that explanation, Ulyanov wrote on X, “I don’t know. For me, the most important point is the need for continuation of the diplomatic efforts.”

The display, first posted by a user on the social media platform X last week, showed a row of pads visible in see-through folders—an abrupt break from the longstanding norm of black plastic bags and whispered requests at the counter.

The post quickly surpassed one million views and gathered thousands of likes and shares. “From black plastic to product albums to help us choose better. What a path we’ve come, woman!” wrote one user, who reposted the image with commentary that resonated widely.

Others joined the conversation with similar stories of resisting the imposed shame around buying menstrual products in public.

The marketing choice—practical on its face—has gained symbolic weight in a country where women’s bodies are policed not just through law but through entrenched taboos.

“Seven years ago, when My Lady launched its maxi pads, we had to secretly open samples for customers,” wrote a user identifying as a company marketer. “The store manager scolded us, said it was shameless. So we made a discreet booklet with three samples stuck inside—like contraband.”

The move to make pads visibly accessible in stores echoes moments from the 2022 protests, when women were photographed covering surveillance cameras in Tehran’s subway with sanitary pads—turning a product once treated as unmentionable into a symbol of defiance.

That imagery reinforced a broader shift: menstruation was no longer something to be hidden, but something women could use—literally and figuratively—to resist.

In a post viewed more than 800 times, another X user described how, in smaller towns, buying pads still carries a strong social stigma. “I’d say put it in a regular bag, and I’d relish the look on the seller’s face,” she wrote. “You could see them thinking, ‘How shameless the new generation has become.’ It was deeply satisfying.”

That stigma, rooted in religious and patriarchal frameworks, frames menstruation as impure. Across various cultures with strong religious influences, menstruating women are often deemed unclean and barred from certain spaces. The expectation is silence—both about the blood and the discomfort.

In Iran, where the Islamic Republic’s laws tightly govern gender expression and public morality, that silence is rigorously enforced.

Still, the shift is underway. A handful of men have joined the conversation online, recalling how they were dispatched to buy pads to shield female relatives from embarrassment.

“I’d run home with the black bag, praying no one saw me,” one wrote. But others mocked the change, reflecting a lingering cultural divide. Of 84 replies under one widely shared post, 11 came from male accounts opposing the visibility initiative.

The company behind the display, My Lady, has previously drawn official backlash. In March, following the release of a video marking International Women’s Day—one that referenced women’s exclusion from stadiums and legal rights—their Instagram page was taken down. Still, the public rallied, citing the brand’s decade-long focus on education and taboo-breaking.

The rise of transparent packaging may not end the stigma, but its presence in plain sight signals a societal reckoning.

The journey from hushed exchanges to open acknowledgment continues, carried forward by a generation of women unwilling to be hidden.