Kazakhstan is ready to host Iranian uranium stockpiles subject to a nuclear deal
Kyiv • UNN
Kazakhstan is ready to accept Iranian uranium to facilitate a nuclear deal with the US. The IAEA supports the idea, but Tehran is currently opposed to the export of the fuel.
Kazakhstan has declared its readiness to host stockpiles of Iranian uranium enriched to near-weapons-grade levels on its territory, which could be a solution to one of the key issues stalling negotiations on a peace deal between the US and Iran. This was reported by Euronews, according to UNN.
Details
The proposal comes amid ongoing exchanges of strikes between the US and Iran and Tehran's announcement of the suspension of intermediary contacts with Washington, which has further complicated the already fragile negotiation process.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi stated that Kazakhstan could accept the existing materials for storage, and President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev supported this idea during a meeting with Grossi in Astana last week, positioning Kazakhstan as a potential neutral custodian of these stockpiles.
"We are demonstrating our readiness to provide technical assistance in good faith, provided that the necessary international agreements are reached between all parties,"
Kazakhstan is often cited as an example of a model for nuclear disarmament. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the country inherited one of the world's largest nuclear arsenals—about 1,400 warheads—and voluntarily eliminated it by 1995, closing the Soviet Semipalatinsk nuclear test site and completely renouncing nuclear weapons.
Kazakhstan's proposal comes amid ongoing difficulties in negotiations between Washington and Tehran regarding key issues, including Iranian uranium stockpiles and the unblocking of the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.
According to media reports, the latest US proposals include a framework plan for a 60-day ceasefire, discussions on reopening this key maritime route through which a fifth of the world's oil trade passed before the war, and a broader return to negotiations aimed at preventing Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
It is estimated that Iran possesses approximately 440 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60%—significantly below the 90% threshold required for weapons-grade material, but sufficient, if the enrichment level is increased, to produce 10–12 nuclear warheads.
This material is believed to be located under the rubble of Iranian nuclear facilities in Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan, which were severely damaged in previous strikes.
The extent of the destruction of the underground elements of these facilities, where the enriched uranium is stored, remains a subject of debate. Satellite imagery released after the strikes showed limited surface damage at Natanz, and the IAEA stated it could not confirm the status of these facilities.
Grossi stated that the idea of removing the uranium "could be" acceptable to both sides depending on the outcome of the negotiations, adding that "we have a place where it can be safely stored."
Kazakhstan already hosts the IAEA Low-Enriched Uranium Bank, established in 2018 under the auspices of the UN nuclear watchdog. It is located at the Ulba Metallurgical Plant in the city of Ust-Kamenogorsk in the northeast of the country and began operations in October 2019. The bank is designed to provide fuel supply guarantees for civilian nuclear programs and reduce the risks of nuclear proliferation.
Iran sent approximately 11 tons of low-enriched uranium to Russia in exchange for natural uranium as part of a key element of the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
US President Donald Trump withdrew the country from this deal during his first term and explicitly ruled out the possibility of Russia or China serving as custodians of the uranium under any new agreement.
Recall
Last week, Trump stated on his social network Truth Social that Iran's highly enriched uranium must either be transferred to Washington, destroyed on-site, or sent to "another acceptable location along with the Atomic Energy Commission."
The Chairman of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, Ebrahim Azizi, rejected the idea of transferring enriched uranium to a third country, stating that Tehran will not move its stockpiles abroad and that Iran's nuclear program is not up for discussion.