Transferring Enriched Uranium from Iran Is Difficult: IAEA Chief
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said moving Iran's enriched uranium abroad would be difficult, though not impossible. He said talks are also considering dilution or lowering enrichment levels.
Intelligence analysis by GPT-5.4 Mini
Grossi told Al Jazeera that transferring Iran's enriched uranium out of the country is operationally very hard, even if technically possible. He said possible fixes being discussed include diluting the material or reducing its enrichment level, while the IAEA is speaking separately with Tehran and Washington.
Iran's nuclear material is like a heavy box that some people want moved away. The IAEA chief says moving it would be hard, but possible, and another idea is to make the box less risky by changing what's inside.
Analysis
What Grossi said
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said the idea of transferring Iran's enriched uranium out of the country is a difficult plan, but not impossible. Speaking to Al Jazeera on Monday, he said U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly proposed moving the material abroad, but called the step operationally very difficult.
Negotiating options
Grossi said one option under discussion is to dilute the material or lower its enrichment level so it becomes less sensitive. He stressed that these issues are being discussed among different parties, but the IAEA is not directly at the negotiating table.
IAEA's role
Even so, Grossi said he is holding separate talks with both Tehran and Washington. The goal, he said, is to help make any potential agreement workable in practice. That suggests the agency sees a technical and verification role even if it is not the main broker of the talks.
The article does not say whether any agreement is close, only that the handling of enriched uranium remains one of the practical issues on the table. The framing is careful: moving the material is not ruled out, but Grossi described it as a complicated undertaking that would need coordination and technical follow-through.
Key points
- Grossi said transferring Iran's enriched uranium abroad is difficult, though not impossible.
- He said one possible option is to dilute the material or reduce its enrichment level.
- The IAEA is not directly in the negotiations, but Grossi is talking separately with Tehran and Washington.
- The uranium issue remains a practical obstacle in broader nuclear talks.
If the parties can agree on a technical solution, the uranium issue could become easier to manage and help make a wider agreement more workable. Grossi's separate talks with Tehran and Washington could also help bridge practical gaps.
The article makes clear that moving the uranium is operationally very difficult, which could slow or complicate any deal. If the parties cannot agree on dilution, enrichment limits, or transfer terms, the negotiations could remain stuck.
