White House envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff conducted an unannounced visit to Oak Ridge, Tennessee, on Thursday to consult with technical specialists ahead of potential atomic deliberations with Tehran, Axios reported on Friday.
The meeting at the Department of Energy installations aimed to establish a foundation for expansive nuclear talks should the United States and Iran successfully finalize a preliminary memorandum of understanding to halt regional warfare, according to the report.
Diplomatic sources and American officials noted that while a final pact remains uncertain, mediation efforts are entering their concluding phase, despite ongoing friction regarding several core stipulations.
Highlighting the gravity of the consultations, an American official remarked to Axios, "This meeting in Oak Ridge doesn't mean that a deal is going to happen, but it is a sign that the negotiations are in a very serious phase and that there is a good chance to get it done and we want to be prepared."
The specialized installations in eastern Tennessee, including the Y-12 National Security Complex and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, house prominent American authorities on centrifuge systems and uranium processing. Historically, the location has served as a processing hub for foreign atomic components, notably handling materials surrendered by Libya and Kazakhstan.
According to administrative officials, a contingent of roughly 100 specialists was recently organized to handle negotiations if an initial armistice is formalized, prompting the envoys to review implementation logistics with members of this task force.
The strategy follows a breakthrough last week when Kushner and Witkoff outlined a 60-day temporary framework with Iranian delegates. The proposed arrangement seeks to prolong the current ceasefire, restore commercial transit through the Strait of Hormuz, permit Iranian petroleum exports, and initiate restrictions regarding Iran's existing uranium stockpiles and future enrichment thresholds.
However, minor discrepancies emerged after President Donald Trump requested two revisions to the framework, prompting Tehran to demand its own adjustments. While Washington awaits a formal reply, insiders describe the remaining diplomatic divide as manageable. A primary point of contention involves the timeline for neutralizing Iran's enriched uranium; Trump has insisted on a 60-day deadline within the final treaty, whereas Iranian representatives are advocating for a 90-day window.
If discussions transition to a broader phase, the Oak Ridge task force will be charged with structuring verification protocols, further restricting enrichment capabilities, and overseeing the eradication of Iran's nuclear materials, according to Axios. Several scientists involved in Thursday's briefing previously assisted the administration in secure operations to retrieve enriched uranium from a Venezuelan research reactor, which was transferred to South Carolina for processing last month. Furthermore, multiple participants had previously traveled to Oman alongside Kushner and Witkoff for pre-war negotiations with Iranian officials.
Friday’s report comes after Trump reiterated his position that Iran will not be permitted to have nuclear weapons as part of any deal it signs with Washington.
“We're having great success with Iran. They're not going to have a nuclear weapon. They're in no position to have a nuclear weapon," Trump stressed in a conversation with reporters aboard Air Force One.
Meanwhile, Mohsen Rezaei, a top military advisor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, told CNN on Friday that the diplomatic track with the US has stalled.
Rezaei asserted that “the negotiations are at a deadlock and (US President Donald) Trump must break this deadlock," adding that “the ball is in Trump’s court."
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)