BICOM

According to the New York Times, Iran might be willing to ship much of its uranium stockpile to Russia as part of a nuclear deal with the P5+1 (US, UK, France, Russia, China and Germany) powers.

The P5+1 and Iran are engaged in a pivotal round of talks in an attempt to reach a so far elusive long-term agreement over Iran’s nuclear development. The two sides were unable to meet a 20 July deadline to broker such a settlement and agreed to extend the talks until 24 November. Despite ongoing negotiations, there has been little sign of tangible progress to meet the deadline. Several significant gaps remain between the two sides, most notably the size and scope of Iran’s uranium enrichment capacity.

However, the New York Times suggests that Iran could send much of its uranium stockpile to Russia, which would convert it into harmless fuel rods to be used at the Iranian reactor at Bushehr, where it could not be used for manufacturing nuclear weapons. Indicating that such an arrangement could be crucial to a wider deal, a US official involved in the talks told the New York Times, “If the Iran-Russia deal works, it could be the cornerstone of something much larger.” Meanwhile, White House spokesman Josh Earnest appeared to confirm an increased Russian role in negotiations, saying “There’s no doubt that the talks have benefited from constructive Russian involvement.” However, he cautioned “obviously a lot more work needs to be done.”

Meanwhile, P5+1 delegation head Catherine Ashton will meet with the head negotiators of the six constituent countries in Vienna on Friday. She will then participate in a tripartite summit on Sunday in Oman alongside US Secretary of State John Kerry and Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammed Zarif.

Last month, senior Israeli leaders reiterated their concern over a potential nuclear deal with Iran, especially on the issue of uranium enrichment. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed “genuine concern” over an agreement in the apparent absence of any Iranian flexibility.