As international efforts to revive stalled nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran continue, Russia has signalled its willingness to assist in addressing concerns over Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile.
Moscow played a central role in the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), under which Iran agreed to limit its nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief. As part of that agreement, Russia removed significant quantities of enriched uranium from Iranian territory.
During a visit to Beijing, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow “is ready to play its role in resolving the enriched uranium issue,” as it did previously. He outlined possible measures, including the reprocessing of highly enriched uranium into fuel-grade material and the transfer of a certain amount to Russia for storage. Lavrov stressed that any arrangement must respect Iran’s right—shared by all states—to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes.
The minister added that Russia and China remain committed to diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the conflict in the Middle East, stressing the need to advance “realistic and fair goals.”
Earlier this week, a Kremlin spokesperson revealed that President Vladimir Putin’s proposal to take custody of Iran’s enriched uranium had been communicated to both Washington and regional governments, though no response has yet been forthcoming.
Russia provided political backing to Iran following the United States’ unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA during the first Trump administration.
