Iran agrees to dilute enriched uranium, but with one condition: What it means for US
The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, Mohammad Eslami (Photo: Getty Images)
Iran may agree to dilute uranium enriched to 60% if all financial sanctions are fully lifted. This is the signal Tehran wants to send to the US in negotiations, according to the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, Mohammad Eslami.
“The possibility of diluting 60% enriched uranium ... depends on whether, in return, all sanctions are lifted or not,” Eslami said.
He added that Iran has not discussed the alternative proposal of sending its most highly enriched uranium to another country.
The outlet recalls that Washington had demanded Iran give up its stockpile of uranium, estimated last year by the UN agency at more than 440 kg enriched to 60%, since this level is close to the 90% enrichment considered weapons‑grade.
US–Iran talks
US and Iranian diplomats held talks in Oman last week to revive diplomacy after US President Donald Trump deployed a military fleet to the region amid fears of renewed military action.
These talks come against the backdrop of a harsh crackdown on anti‑government protests in Iran last month, during which thousands of people were killed - the largest domestic unrest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
As previously reported, the US demanded that Tehran relinquish its stockpile of uranium, estimated last year by a UN agency at more than 440 kg enriched to 60%, a level not far from the 90% required to produce nuclear weapons.
Ali Larijani, a close adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and secretary of its national security council, will travel to Oman on Tuesday following last week’s US–Iran talks.
During this trip, Larijani is expected to meet with senior officials of the Sultanate of Oman to discuss the latest regional and international developments, as well as bilateral cooperation at various levels.
The date and location of the next round of US–Iran negotiations have not yet been determined.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the upcoming round could provide a timely opportunity for a fair and balanced resolution and that a desirable outcome could be achieved if the US avoids maximalist positions and honors its commitments.
Iran continues to insist on the removal of sanctions and the preservation of its right to enrich nuclear fuel.
Last year, the US and Iran held five rounds of talks on limiting Tehran’s nuclear program, but the process collapsed due to disagreements over uranium enrichment.
