Ceasefire Talks Continue as US Eyes Uranium Recovery Operation in Iran

Donald Trump has announced that the United States will work with Iran to extract and remove uranium that was buried underground during joint airstrikes carried out by the US and Israel last summer. In a statement shared on social media, Trump clarified that no further uranium enrichment activities will be permitted in Iran. He also claimed that since the strikes conducted in June, the nuclear material in the affected area has remained untouched and continues to be securely buried underground. Trump had earlier indicated that if a new nuclear agreement with Iran is finalized, the US would take responsibility for safely retrieving the deeply buried hazardous material. Experts, however, believe that extracting uranium from such depths would be a complex and high-risk operation. The US President further revealed that discussions are ongoing regarding the removal or easing of economic tariffs and sanctions imposed on Iran. However, there has been no official confirmation from the Iranian government regarding cooperation with the United States in removing the buried material. Earlier developments also indicate that Trump had withdrawn threats of launching destructive attacks on Iran. Both the United States and Iran have agreed to a two-week ceasefire, which includes reopening the strategically important Strait of Hormuz. The decision to halt hostilities was taken just two hours before the deadline given to Tehran expired. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council has accepted the ceasefire and announced that talks with the United States will begin in Pakistan from Friday. However, reports of continued attacks in Israel, Iran, and the Gulf region emerged on Wednesday morning, indicating that tensions remain high. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel supports the ceasefire but clarified that it does not apply to operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel has also demanded that Iran immediately reopen the Strait of Hormuz and halt attacks. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the ceasefire proposal includes an appeal to stop hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, and Pakistan will host the upcoming negotiations.