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[Herald Economy = Reporter Park Se-hwan] U.S. President Donald Trump said on May 23 (local time) that a final deal to end hostilities with Iran is imminent. U.S. officials say the initial agreement would require Iran to give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
The New York Times, citing multiple U.S. officials, reported that the United States demanded Iran surrender its highly enriched uranium as part of an initial agreement and that Iran agreed to that demand.
U.S. officials, however, say they have not yet agreed on the details of how Iran’s uranium stockpile would be handled and plan to address those technical arrangements in subsequent negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.
That suggests negotiators may first reach an initial understanding for Iran to relinquish its uranium reserves, defer broader nuclear-program issues for now, and work out the specifics in later talks.
Those developments followed a Pakistani mediation team’s visit to Tehran for high-level talks and President Trump’s outreach to Middle Eastern partners, both of which suggested a deal might be close.
Still, neither side has described how close they are to resolving major sticking points, including Iran’s broader nuclear program, a halt to regional attacks—such as Israeli strikes in Lebanon—and normalization of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
How to handle Iran’s highly enriched uranium remains the single biggest point of contention in the negotiations.
Iran currently holds roughly 440 kilograms of uranium enriched to about 60 percent, and President Trump has repeatedly said the United States would secure that stockpile.
If the United States were to take custody of the near-weapons-grade material, it could blunt criticism over a prolonged conflict and be presented as a tangible concession. Under the Obama-era nuclear deal, Iran transferred some stockpiles to Russia; the Trump administration could frame bringing them to the U.S. as a symbolic win.
Iran has strongly rejected such scenarios.
For the Iranian leadership, handing over highly enriched uranium would likely be viewed as a humiliating surrender. As a result, Tehran has opposed including the uranium issue in an initial deal and has pushed to defer it to a second phase of negotiations.
The New York Times reported that U.S. negotiators have pressured mediators, warning they would withdraw from talks and resume military operations if an initial agreement did not cover the uranium stockpile.
U.S. military officials recently presented President Trump with options to strike Iran’s uranium holdings, including striking the Isfahan nuclear facility—where uranium is stored—with bunker-buster munitions.
On Truth Social, Mr. Trump said negotiators are finalizing details and that reopening the Strait of Hormuz would be part of any agreement. He did not specify the terms of the deal or the remaining obstacles.
Meanwhile, as Mr. Trump reviewed the proposed deal at the White House, a shooting directed toward the complex resulted in two casualties, including the suspected shooter. Secret Service agents, FBI officers and local police secured the scene and are investigating.
U.S. media, including CNN, reported a Secret Service official said they received calls around 6 p.m. reporting gunfire near the intersection of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW on the perimeter of the White House, and that the agency is investigating.
The Secret Service briefly locked down the White House and ordered reporters outside the building to evacuate.
A NewsNation reporter said, “I heard 25 to 30 consecutive shots,” and that Secret Service agents ushered reporters into the briefing room, shouting, “Shots fired! Get down!”
The Secret Service public affairs office posted on X (formerly Twitter) that it is aware of reports of a shooting at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW and is working with on-scene personnel to verify information, adding it will provide updates as they become available.
FBI Director Kashy Patel also posted on X that the FBI had deployed to the scene and was supporting the Secret Service’s response to the shooting near the White House, and that the agency would release more information when possible.
With federal agencies providing limited details, Fox News reported that the gunman fired three shots at the White House with a handgun and that Secret Service agents returned fire and subdued the shooter.
The shooter was transported to a hospital and later reported dead.
U.S. media reported that President Trump was safe. Officials said a bystander was shot at the scene and taken to a nearby hospital; their condition has not been confirmed.
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