Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly demanded that Iran, an ally, reach a nuclear agreement (JCPOA) with the United States on the condition of not enriching uranium.
The U.S. online media Axios reported on the 12th (local time) that, citing multiple sources, 'Russia has suggested several times in recent weeks that Iran should negotiate on the condition of a “zero” uranium enrichment.'
President Putin recently stated his support for Iran's abandonment of uranium enrichment during calls with U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron, and it is reported that he conveyed the same message to Israel.
Axios reported that Russia indicated it would remove Iran's highly enriched uranium and provide small amounts of 3.67% enriched uranium for fuel and 20% enriched uranium for research if the nuclear agreement is reached.
However, an official from a European country reported that Iran's side reacted by saying they would 'not consider' this.
In relation to this, both Iran and Russia denied the report. The Iranian semi-official news agency Tasnim, citing sources, reported that 'President Putin has never conveyed such a message,' and the Russian Foreign Ministry dismissed the report as 'politically charged propaganda.'
The Russian Foreign Ministry pointed out, 'One can guess who directed this report,' stating that it intends to escalate tensions surrounding Iran's nuclear program. They added, 'We hope to see reports citing official information sources and refrain from fake news.'
Meanwhile, the U.S. and Iran are showing signs of resuming negotiations over the Iran nuclear agreement (JCPOA), which was signed during the Obama administration in 2015. That agreement limited Iran's nuclear fuel reprocessing and enrichment, but did not impose a complete ban. The Trump administration unilaterally revoked it in 2018 and restored economic sanctions, while the second Trump administration conducted a surprise attack on Iranian nuclear facilities last month.
Currently, U.S. Special Envoy for the Middle East Steven Wittkopf and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi are continuing behind-the-scenes contacts to resume negotiations through unofficial channels.