Vladimir Putin’s Russia has signaled its readiness to take Iran’s enriched uranium as part of a peace deal in the Middle East. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow had offered to establish peace in the region by “playing a role” in removing uranium, which is the core of nuclear weapons. While dismantling Iran’s nuclear program has been a major goal for Donald Trump in the current conflict, the Russian acquisition of the stockpile could substantially increase the threat it poses to the NATO alliance.
Lavrov said: “This role could take many forms, including reprocessing highly enriched uranium into fuel-grade uranium, transferring a certain amount to Russia for storage. I repeat that whatever is acceptable to Iran is a violation of its inalienable right, like the right of any other state, to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the offer “was made by President Putin in negotiations with both the United States and regional states” and “still stands but has not been acted upon”.
This comes after initial rounds of talks between Iran and the US in Pakistan last weekend failed to reach any agreement.
An Iranian diplomatic official denied that talks were stalled over Iran’s nuclear ambitions, which it has insisted are peaceful while rejecting external limitations.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says Iran has reserves of 440.9 kg of uranium enriched to 60% purity, a small, technical step away from the weapons-grade level of 90%.
Russia, which already has the world’s largest stockpile of nuclear weapons, previously took large quantities of enriched uranium from Iran as part of a 2015 deal between Iran and six nuclear powers aimed at curbing its nuclear program.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi warned this week that if Iran decided to weaponize its program, its estimated stockpile could allow it to make 10 nuclear bombs.
Iran has not allowed the IAEA access to its nuclear facilities that were bombed by Israel and the US during the 12-day war in June, according to a confidential report circulated to member states and seen by The Associated Press in February.
The report emphasizes that it “cannot verify whether Iran has suspended all enrichment-related activities” or “the size of Iran’s uranium stockpile at affected nuclear facilities”.
