Iran has indicated it is prepared to dilute its highly enriched uranium if the United States agrees to lift all sanctions, according to comments by the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization following renewed talks with Washington.
Iran’s official news agency IRNA quoted Atomic Energy Organization chief Mohammad Eslami as saying that any decision to dilute uranium enriched up to 60 percent would depend entirely on the removal of sanctions. However, it remains unclear whether Tehran is seeking the lifting of all international sanctions or only those imposed by the United States.
Uranium dilution refers to the process of lowering enrichment levels by blending enriched material with other substances, ensuring it does not exceed agreed limits. Before US and Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities in June last year, Tehran had enriched uranium far beyond the 3.67 percent cap set under the 2015 nuclear deal, which has since collapsed.
Western governments, led by Washington, continue to accuse Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons — allegations Tehran strongly denies. Iran insists its nuclear activities are peaceful and fall within its rights under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
The UN’s nuclear watchdog has previously confirmed that Iran is the only non-nuclear-weapon state enriching uranium to 60 percent. Questions also remain over the whereabouts of more than 400 kilograms of enriched uranium last inspected in June, a quantity that experts say could potentially be used to produce multiple nuclear weapons if enrichment levels were increased further.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly called for a complete ban on Iran’s uranium enrichment, a demand Tehran has rejected as unacceptable. Iranian officials maintain that any agreement must recognize the country’s right to a civilian nuclear program while ensuring sanctions relief.
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