Witkoff, Kushner consult Oak Ridge nuclear experts on Iran
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- Witkoff and Kushner traveled to Oak Ridge, Tennessee on Thursday to consult with nuclear experts at Energy Department facilities — Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex — that house the country's foremost uranium processing and centrifuge technology specialists.
- A team of roughly 100 experts was recently assembled to participate in nuclear negotiations if a preliminary deal with Iran is reached, according to two U.S. officials.
- Trump and Iranian counterparts agreed terms last week on a 60-day MOU extending the ceasefire, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, allowing Iran to sell oil, and launching talks on Iran's enriched uranium stockpile and limitations on future enrichment.
- Trump requested two amendments, including a 60-day deadline to conclude the down-blending of Iran's enriched uranium; the Iranians want 90 days, according to two sources briefed on the talks.
- The U.S. and Iran remain at odds over Iran's frozen billions — the U.S. wants funds released after a final deal and concrete implementation steps, while Iran wants partial release immediately.
- Some of the same experts who met with the envoys recently helped recover enriched uranium from a Venezuelan research reactor (delivered to South Carolina last month) and also joined Kushner and Witkoff in Oman for earlier nuclear negotiations with Iran before the war.
Why it matters: If the MOU is finalized, the 100-expert team would need to develop a plan to dispose of Iran's nuclear material, further restrict enrichment, and verify compliance — technical work the U.S. is already rehearsing through the Venezuela uranium recovery. The remaining gaps are narrow but real: a 30-day difference on the down-blending deadline and a standoff over timing of frozen fund releases.
