SAEDNEWS: At the BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro on July 8, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced that Moscow is prepared to apply its technological expertise to refill Iran’s depleted uranium reserves, signalling a deepening nuclear partnership amid recent regional hostilities.
According to Saed News: During a plenary session of BRICS leaders in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov revealed that Russia possesses “technological solutions for uranium depletion” and stands ready to collaborate with Iran to convert excess highly enriched uranium into power‑generation‑grade material for Tehran’s civilian nuclear facilities. “We are not acting as mediators,” Lavrov clarified. “We have the capacity to take surplus overly enriched uranium and return it in a form suitable for the Islamic Republic’s nuclear energy needs.”
Lavrov’s announcement comes in the aftermath of a turbulent three‑week stretch of military exchanges in June: an Israeli campaign of air strikes against Iranian military, nuclear, and residential targets from June 13, followed on June 22 by U.S. bombardments of Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan nuclear sites. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force responded with Operation True Promise III, launching 22 waves of missile attacks on Israeli territory, and subsequently striking the al‑Udeid air base in Qatar—the largest U.S. base in West Asia.
A ceasefire brokered on June 24 has paused the confrontations, but the nuclear dimension remains fraught. With key Iranian uranium‑processing facilities reportedly damaged or depleted by recent strikes, Tehran faces a pressing need to replenish its stockpiles if it is to maintain its civilian nuclear programme.
Moscow’s offer not only cements Russia’s role as a pivotal nuclear technology supplier but also underscores the strategic alignment between Moscow and Tehran. By converting Iran’s surplus weapons‑grade uranium into reactor‑ready fuel, Russia could help Tehran sidestep international bottlenecks—while simultaneously expanding its influence within Iran’s nuclear sector.
Western capitals are likely to view the development with alarm, interpreting it as a further erosion of non‑proliferation norms. Yet for Iran, the partnership offers a means to sustain its energy ambitions in the wake of severe disruptions, and for Russia, it presents an opportunity to reinforce its geopolitical foothold in the Middle East.
