Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said Iran has agreed it would “never, ever” possess nuclear material capable of producing a bomb, calling it a breakthrough that puts a peace deal with the United States “within our reach.”
Speaking to CBS News after meeting Vice President JD Vance in Washington, Albusaidi described the development as unprecedented.
“The single most important achievement, I believe, is the agreement that Iran will never, ever have a nuclear material that will create a bomb,” he said. “This is something that is not in the old deal that was negotiated during President Obama’s time. This is something completely new.”
Albusaidi, who is mediating the talks, said the negotiations have made “substantial progress” and urged that diplomacy be given more time.
“I can see that the peace deal is within our reach, if we just allow diplomacy the space it needs to get there,” he said. “I don’t think any alternative to diplomacy is going to solve this problem.”
He explained that the proposed framework includes “zero stockpiling” of enriched uranium — a key shift from past agreements.
“Now we are talking about zero stockpiling,” Albusaidi said. “If you cannot stockpile material that is enriched then there is no way you can actually create a bomb.”
He added that Iran’s existing stockpiles would be “down blended to the lowest level possible, to a neutral level and converted into fuel, and that fuel will be irreversible.”
Albusaidi said full verification by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) would be part of the agreement and suggested that even US inspectors could eventually gain access if a deal is finalized.
His comments come as President Donald Trump expressed frustration with the pace of negotiations, saying he was “not happy with the negotiation” and reiterating, “I say no enrichment.”
Despite that tension, Albusaidi said he believes both Washington and Tehran are serious about reaching an agreement.
“I think even the President wants this deal to succeed,” he said.
Technical discussions are scheduled in Vienna, followed by another round of high-level talks within days. Albusaidi said broad political terms could be agreed quickly, while implementation — including verification and addressing current stockpiles — could be completed within about three months.
“There is really a very historic opportunity to crack this issue diplomatically,” he said.
