BNE IntelliNews:

Russia has proposed removing enriched uranium from Iran and communicated the offer to Iranian authorities, the United States and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), though no practical steps have been taken to implement the plan, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said.

The Russian proposal is based on two factors: Iran's desire to maintain its right to enrich uranium on its territory and concerns from Tehran's opponents about Iran possessing uranium enriched beyond levels needed for nuclear power plant fuel.

Russia believes it could reduce regional tensions by taking responsibility for enriching the material and its subsequent commercial realisation, according to the Foreign Ministry.

"Given that it's still unclear how the dialogue will proceed, whether it will proceed at all, and if it does, in what format, we haven't yet reached the specifics of such practical measures," Ryabkov said, Russian daily Kommersant reported on July 11.

The deputy foreign minister said all interested parties approached the proposal with attention and "probably perceived it as reflecting the seriousness of our efforts and intentions in this regard".

At the BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov previously stated that Russia possesses the technological capabilities to process Iran's "excessively enriched" uranium, noting that the processed material could subsequently be returned to Iran's nuclear energy facilities.

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