Overview
- Sergey Lavrov, speaking in Beijing on Wednesday, offered to convert highly enriched uranium to fuel-grade material and to hold some of Iran’s stock in Russia if Tehran agrees.
- He said Iran has an inalienable right to enrich for peaceful use and cited IAEA assessments that have not found diversion to military ends.
- The position conflicts with President Trump’s insistence on no enrichment, as Vice President J.D. Vance said the United States seeks to remove Iran’s current stock and take control of it after talks in Islamabad stalled.
- Russia aligned with China and cast itself as a go-between, saying it discussed the issue with Iranian, U.S., and Israeli representatives, yet any transfer would require sanctions waivers, chain-of-custody rules, and verification.
- Moscow helped ship out Iranian uranium under the 2015 nuclear deal, a precedent that might cut proliferation risks if updated, though a deep split over Iran’s enrichment rights now clouds prospects for a quick agreement.