Trump says Putin offered help with Iran enriched uranium: Why Russia wants Iranian uranium?
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Trump says Putin offered help with Iran enriched uranium: Why Russia wants Iranian uranium?")
Cutouts of US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin Photograph: (AFP)
Trump says Putin offered help on Iran nuclear uranium issue during phone call, but Trump pushed for focus on Ukraine war. Russia proposed storing Iran enriched uranium as mediator. Talks highlight ongoing geopolitical tensions involving Iran, Ukraine, US, and Russia diplomacy.
US President Donald Trump said that Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a phone call, offered his help in solving the nuclear programme issue with Iran. He said that Putin offered to take Iran’s buried uranium to Russia. Kremlin aide also confirmed that Putin put forward ideas on resolving the conflict over Iran's nuclear programme. The US president dismissed his offer and said that he would want to end the Russia-Ukraine war first. Stating that he had a "very good conversation" with Putin, Trump said that he brushed aside Russian president's idea to get involved” in the Iran-US conflict. Russia has pushed to take Iran's uranium a number of times.
"I said I'd much rather have you be involved with ending the war with Ukraine. I said, before you help me, I want to end your war," said Trump in the phone call with Putin.
Russia's push to get Iran's uranium
The Russia first proposed in June 2025, after Israel and the US attacked Iran, that it is ready to take control of Iran's uranium stock, but no action was taken. Vladimir Putin-led nation made similar offer this week, however, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying that America has rejected the offer. Notably, Russia has one of the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons in the world. "Russia was prepared to accept Iran's enriched uranium on its territory," state news agency RIA said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Indian television channel India Today. “This would be a good decision. But unfortunately the American side rejected this proposal,” he added. Earlier, Peskov said, “This proposal was made by President Putin in conversations with both the United States and regional states. The offer still stands, but has not been acted upon." A Russian deputy foreign minister, last year, suggested Russia was willing to remove the stockpile from Iran and convert it to civilian reactor fuel to help facilitate negotiations.
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Why Russia wants Iran's uranium?
Russia's primary motivation to take Iran's uranium can be a way to project itself as a central mediator in the nuclear standoff between Tehran and the US. It becomes interesting as Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi arrived travelled to Russia, for high-level meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Since Tehran trusts Moscow more than Washington, Russia offers a secure location for the stockpile that satisfies Iranians as well as establishing a moral hegemony on the demands by the US.
Russia has proposed converting the highly enriched material into fuel for civilian nuclear reactors, potentially benefiting its own state nuclear corporation, Rosatom. But low-enriched uranium is commonly used for civilian nuclear reactors. Highly enriched uranium can potentially be used in nuclear weapons. According to US, Iran has roughly 450 kilograms enriched to 60 percent purity, around 1,000 kilograms enriched to 20 percent and about 8,500 kilograms enriched to 3.6 percent. The 60 percent stockpile is sensitive because it is considered only a short technical step from weapons-grade enrichment of about 90 percent. That makes Iran’s uranium special. Some analysts have also pointed out that the enriched uranium in Russia's custody gives them an edge in the hegemonic war with the West and a strategic leverage in the world plagued by wars.
