Nuclear weapons experts are urging the Trump administration to ensure that any new agreement with Iran permanently blocks the country's ability to produce nuclear weapons through plutonium reprocessing. While negotiations have largely focused on uranium enrichment, specialists warn that Iran could exploit gaps in oversight by extracting plutonium from facilities such as the Bushehr reactor or rebuilding the Arak heavy water reactor, which has reportedly been targeted by Israeli strikes in recent years.

Henry Sokolski of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center has called for near real time monitoring of Iran's spent fuel at Bushehr, arguing that existing inspection schedules leave enough time for potential diversion. He has also warned that Iran may already possess enough plutonium for a large number of nuclear weapons if safeguards are not strengthened. The State Department has said Iran remains in breach of its obligations under the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty and must fully cooperate with international inspectors.

Other experts, including David Albright of the Institute for Science and International Security, are skeptical that Iran would pursue a plutonium based weapon, citing technical hurdles, likely detection, and the lower quality of reactor grade plutonium. Still, analysts such as Andrea Stricker of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies argue that any future deal must include a permanent and verifiable ban on plutonium reprocessing, along with more frequent inspections and possible removal of spent fuel by Russia to reduce proliferation risks.