Iran Suggests It May Dilute Uranium in Return for US Sanctions Relief

The International Atomic Energy Agency said in a report last year that Iran had accelerated its production of near-weapons-grade uranium.

Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran, on Jan. 17, 2026. West Asia News Agency/Reuters

Iran’s top nuclear scientist suggested on Feb. 9 that the Islamic republic may be prepared to dilute its stores of highly enriched uranium in return for the United States lifting sanctions on the country.

Speaking to reporters, Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said that Iran may consider diluting its 60 percent refined stocks if all sanctions were removed, the regime-aligned Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA) reported