Diplomatic discussions between Tehran and Washington are ongoing, with IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi highlighting the complexities of transferring Iran’s highly enriched uranium, which poses transport challenges due to its gaseous form.
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As diplomatic efforts between Tehran and Washington continue, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi has said that transferring Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium outside the country would be a challenging operation, but one that remains technically possible. Speaking to Al Jazeera, Grossi said the process would be complicated because the uranium is stored in a gaseous form that is difficult and potentially hazardous to transport.
“Such an operation is not easy, because this is in gas form, highly contaminant, and it’s not an easy operation,” Grossi said.
Alternative Options Being Explored
Grossi noted that negotiators and technical experts are also considering other solutions, including “downblending” the enriched uranium into a lower-grade form that would be less suitable for potential weapons use.
“All of these things are the things we have been discussing,” he said, while stressing that the UN nuclear watchdog is not directly involved in the ongoing negotiations between Iran and the United States.
According to Grossi, the IAEA has maintained separate channels of communication with both Tehran and Washington and is prepared to support any agreement that may emerge.
“Our contribution to this is to make it possible, to make it viable,” he said.
Trump Pushes for Removal or Destruction of Uranium Stockpile
Grossi’s remarks come days after US President Donald Trump renewed calls for Iran to relinquish its stockpile of enriched uranium, describing the material as “nuclear dust” in a post on Truth Social.
Trump argued that the uranium should either be transferred to the United States for destruction or eliminated under international supervision.
“The Enriched Uranium (Nuclear Dust!) will either be immediately turned over to the United States to be brought home and destroyed or, preferably, in conjunction and coordination with the Islamic Republic of Iran, destroyed in place or, at another acceptable location,” Trump wrote.
The US President has also continued to promote a broader diplomatic vision for the region, including a possible expansion of the Abraham Accords and a wider Middle East peace framework that could eventually involve Iran.
Tehran Rejects Any Curbs on Enrichment Rights
Iran, however, has firmly pushed back against suggestions that it should abandon uranium enrichment activities, insisting that the programme is permitted under international law and intended for peaceful purposes.
Speaking recently, Iran’s Ambassador to India, Mohammad Fathali, reiterated Tehran’s position that uranium enrichment remains a non-negotiable right under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
