ISLAMABAD – US and Iran talks continue unabated despite several points being a bone of contention between the two sides, and now Tehran’s nuclear stockpile remains under spotlight.
Amid contrasting statements from two sides, Russia made striking announcement that could reshape the already tense geopolitics surrounding Iran’s nuclear program, saying that it is ready to assist in the transfer of enriched uranium from Iran.
Russia’s state nuclear energy corporation chief Rosatom Alexey Likhachev said they are considering to facilitate the movement of enriched uranium out of Iran. His remarks were published on Rosatom’s industrial publication “Strana Rosatom” via its Telegram channel.
Likhachev saif while technical challenges remain significant, the deeper obstacle is the severe lack of trust between the United States and Iran, which continues to complicate any potential agreement or arrangement.
He further revealed that Kremlin already has prior experience in handling such sensitive cooperation with Iran. In a notable reference, he said that in 2015, at Iran’s request, Russia had already helped in the transfer of enriched uranium, and stressed that Moscow is once again prepared to take on a similar role.
The statement comes at highly sensitive moment in global diplomacy. Just two days earlier, US President Donald Trump claimed that a new agreement with Iran was “very close”, adding that Tehran had allegedly agreed to hand over around 440 kilograms of highly enriched uranium. However, Iran’s Foreign Ministry quickly rejected these claims outright, insisting that no such agreement has been reached or even finalized.
Iran said it will not abandon its nuclear enrichment rights, insisting they are protected under international law and that the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Foreign Ministry rejected Western media claims about its nuclear programme, calling them unfounded and stressing that its rights cannot be removed through external pressure.
It added that, as NPT signatory, Iran is entitled to pursue peaceful nuclear enrichment. On reported Iran–US talks in Pakistan, the ministry said any agreement would first require a broad framework, and that detailed discussions on sensitive issues are not appropriate at this stage.
‘Still Far from Final Deal with US’, Iran’s parliament speaker says ahead of Islamabad talks
