Iran might be willing to ship much of its uranium stockpile out of country to Russia as part of a comprehensive agreement with world powers over its nuclear program, US officials said this week.
Quoted in The New York Times, officials said that much of the 28,000 pound stockpile would be converted to fuel rods by the Russians for peaceful use in Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant.
Russia is engaged in talks with Iran alongside the US, United Kingdom, France, China and Germany, working toward a November 24 deadline for a final agreement.
"There's no doubt that the talks have benefited from constructive Russian involvement," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said on Tuesday during his daily briefing with reporters, noting that, "obviously, a lot more work needs to be done" in the negotiations.
Earnest's response came amid questions over Russia's role in US diplomatic efforts, a cause of strain ever since Moscow's annexation of Crimea led to harsh sanctions from Washington and Brussels.
Nevertheless, the US and Russia continue to collaborate on issues of mutual concern, including the Iranian program, Earnest said.
"The Russians have engaged in the international community to achieve important progress," Earnest added.
The Times report, citing "officials and diplomats involved in the negotiations," claimed the tentative agreement marked a significant development towards a comprehensive nuclear deal.
"If the Iran-Russia deal works, it could be the cornerstone of something much larger," according to one such official quoted.
Once converted, such rods would be virtually useless in a weaponization program. The current stockpile is enough for Iran to produce several nuclear warheads, should Tehran's leaders choose to further enrich the material to weapons-grade.
Russia would be compensated generously for its participation, the report claims, during a difficult financial period for the country. And Russian President Vladimir Putin would benefit politically, expanding his long-held argument that Moscow is an indispensable force on the world stage.
Wendy Sherman, chief negotiator at the table with Iran, has stepped in as acting deputy secretary of state—second in command at the State Department—after the retirement of William J Burns.
Continuing her role in the talks, Sherman will be in Vienna on Friday for a meeting of the political directors leading the negotiations. From that point, efforts will continue straight until the deadline on November 24.
Also responding to the report, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said that the US welcomed "creative and reasonable ideas" from Moscow at the table. But "we can't accept any arrangement we can't verify," she added.​