Israel wants all uranium out of Iran. Tehran calls zero enrichment a red line. Can diplomacy survive?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that any nuclear agreement between the United States and Iran must require Tehran to surrender all enriched uranium and permanently forgo further enrichment.
Speaking in Jerusalem ahead of a new round of indirect U.S.-Iran talks in Geneva, Netanyahu insisted that “all enriched material has to leave Iran” and that there must be “no enrichment capability” left inside the country.
His remarks come as envoys prepare to meet Tuesday in Switzerland, where U.S. representatives including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to hold discussions with Iranian negotiators led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Iran, however, has made clear that a total halt to enrichment is unacceptable. Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi told the BBC that zero enrichment violates Iran’s rights under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and remains a red line. Still, he said Tehran is willing to discuss diluting its stockpile of uranium enriched to 60 percent if Washington is prepared to negotiate sanctions relief.
The dispute underscores a fundamental gap. Under the 2015 nuclear agreement — formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action — Iran accepted strict limits on enrichment and international inspections in exchange for sanctions relief. President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from that deal during his first term.
Now, Washington has increased military pressure while emphasizing diplomacy. The United States has deployed two aircraft carriers to the Middle East, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said additional naval forces are in place to counter potential threats. Rubio reiterated that Trump prefers a negotiated outcome over military confrontation.
Netanyahu, who recently met Trump at the White House, said he conveyed skepticism about the prospects for a durable agreement unless Iran’s ballistic missile program and regional proxy support — including for Hamas and Hezbollah — are also addressed.
With Israel demanding complete dismantlement, Iran rejecting zero enrichment, and Washington balancing pressure with diplomacy, the Geneva talks face steep obstacles — and little margin for miscalculation.
