GENEVA — The United States pressed Iran to shut down and dismantle core parts of its nuclear program during a third round of talks here in February 2026, demanding the closure of three major sites and the removal of all enriched uranium from Iranian territory, according to details emerging from the negotiations.
U.S. negotiators called for the destruction of facilities at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan — installations widely seen as the backbone of Iran’s uranium enrichment capacity — and proposed that Tehran’s stockpiled enriched uranium be transferred out of the country into permanent U.S. custody.
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Washington also pushed for a comprehensive agreement with no expiration date, seeking to eliminate future “sunset clauses” and to codify a long-term “zero enrichment” policy that would permit only minimal nuclear activity for medical purposes, officials said.
Tehran has firmly rejected the package. An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the demands are unacceptable and constitute a violation of the country’s sovereignty, adding that Iran will not dismantle its nuclear infrastructure or surrender its enriched material. Iran reiterated that it maintains a right to peaceful nuclear technology under international law.
The exchange underscored the distance between the two sides as the Geneva talks, now in their third round, unfold amid mounting regional tension and sharpened rhetoric. Donald Trump warned that failure to reach an agreement could lead to military action, while reports indicated the United States has increased its military presence in the Middle East in recent weeks. U.S. officials did not immediately comment on force posture, and the status of follow-on negotiating sessions was not announced.
At issue are the scale and permanence of limits on Iran’s nuclear program and how to verify them. The U.S. position outlined in Geneva centers on three pillars:
- Dismantlement of Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan facilities.
- Permanent transfer of all enriched uranium out of Iran to U.S. custody.
- An agreement with no sunset clauses and a long-term “zero enrichment” baseline, with narrow medical exemptions.
The demands strike at the heart of a dispute that has roiled international diplomacy for more than a decade. The 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, imposed strict limits on enrichment and stockpiles in exchange for sanctions relief and international monitoring. The United States withdrew from that accord in 2018, triggering a series of escalatory steps by both sides and periodic attempts to revive or replace the agreement.
Fordow, built deep inside a mountain near Qom, and the sprawling Natanz complex have long been central to Iran’s enrichment efforts, while facilities around Isfahan support conversion and fuel-cycle activities. Demolishing or disabling those assets would mark a drastic rollback of Iran’s nuclear capabilities; shipping enriched uranium abroad and ending sunset clauses would further attempt to seal off pathways for any rapid expansion of enrichment down the line.
Iran’s blanket rejection of dismantlement and offshoring of nuclear material indicates little immediate room for compromise. While negotiators have not announced a breakthrough, both sides have reasons to keep channels open: Iran seeks relief from sanctions that have weighed on its economy, and the United States aims to constrain nuclear risks and avoid a wider regional conflict.
With positions hardening, any path forward would likely hinge on sequencing, verification and the scope of permitted civilian activities — issues that have repeatedly bogged down past efforts. For now, Geneva has thrown into stark relief how far apart Washington and Tehran remain on the core question animating the crisis: whether Iran will be allowed to enrich uranium on its own soil at all.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
