Russia has renewed its offer to accept and reprocess Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium as part of a potential agreement between Tehran and Washington, signalling Moscow's willingness to play a mediating role in the ongoing nuclear standoff. The offer comes after talks between Iran and the United States failed over the weekend, dashing hopes of a rapid resolution to a conflict that has killed thousands and disrupted the global economy since it erupted in late February.
Speaking to reporters 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 under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action — the landmark nuclear agreement that offered Iran relief from international sanctions in exchange for curbing its atomic programme and accepting broader international inspections. Under that deal, Russia physically removed large quantities of enriched uranium from Iranian territory. Lavrov outlined several possible arrangements, including reprocessing highly enriched uranium into fuel-grade material or transferring a portion to Russia for storage, adding that any solution must respect Iran's "inalienable right" to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes.
The Kremlin confirmed that President Vladimir Putin's proposal had already been communicated to the United States and countries in the Middle East, but had not yet received a formal response. Russia had previously offered political backing to Iran after the US unilaterally withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal during Donald Trump's first presidential term, and Moscow — alongside China — remains a vocal supporter of a negotiated settlement to the current crisis.
The renewed offer matters for several reasons. Iran's growing uranium stockpile has been a central sticking point in negotiations, with Western governments concerned that sufficient quantities of highly enriched material could bring Tehran close to weapons-grade capability. A third-party arrangement, with Russia serving as custodian, could provide a face-saving compromise that allows Iran to maintain its stated civilian nuclear ambitions while reducing proliferation risks. Whether Washington and Tehran are willing to accept Moscow as a trusted intermediary, however, remains deeply uncertain given the broader geopolitical tensions between Russia and Western nations.