President Donald Trump is considering a nuclear deal with Iran that would allow the country to resume uranium enrichment in a decade, following the downing of an American F-15E Strike Eagle earlier this month. The proposal would require Iran to suspend enrichment for ten years before permitting limited production of low-enriched uranium for another decade, according to the New York Times.
Trump had previously pushed for a 20-year suspension, fearing a shorter timeline would make his deal resemble the 2015 agreement he scrapped. The Obama-era deal barred Iran from enriching uranium above civilian levels for 15 years.
The proposal comes amid reports of a private meltdown between Trump and his top military advisers following the April 3 downing of the U.S. jet, which marked the first American plane brought down by enemy fire in the conflict. Images of the wreckage circulated widely on social media, and Trump reportedly demanded the immediate retrieval of the pilots, though U.S. troops have not been on the ground in Iran since the 1979 hostage crisis.
Meanwhile, a former White House nuclear adviser disputed Trump's claim that Iran's nuclear program was 'completely obliterated' after U.S. and Israeli strikes last June. Dr. Matthew Bunn, now at Harvard's Belfer Center, told CBS News' 60 Minutes that Iran still possesses enough highly enriched uranium (HEU) to build 10 to 11 nuclear bombs. U.N. inspectors estimate Iran holds close to 970 pounds of uranium enriched to 60 percent, though verification has been impossible since last June's strikes.
Trump has insisted the U.S. will retrieve Iran's uranium stockpile, either through a deal or by force. However, experts warn that such an operation would require thousands of troops and carry significant risks. Iranian officials have denied any agreement to hand over their HEU, and a fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is set to expire soon.