Pakistan Says Iran Agrees to Dilute Enriched Uranium Amid U.S. Talks

Pakistan’s foreign minister, Mohammad Ishaq Dar, said on Sunday that Iran has agreed in principle to lower the enrichment level of its uranium stockpile, hours after talks between the United States and Iran began. Speaking to Saudi broadcaster Al Arabiya, he said Iran is now prepared to dilute uranium enriched to 60 percent to a lower level.

Dar said Iran’s uranium stockpile is still “buried underground,” and added that Washington had asked for the stockpile to be moved, but that the sides reached agreement on a solution of “reducing enrichment.” He did not say when any change would take place.

Addressing the Strait of Hormuz, Dar said the situation should return to what it was before the war started, and that there should be no transit fees or “services” in the strait. He also referred to Iran’s demand that Israeli strikes in Lebanon stop as a condition for opening the strait, saying, “The Israeli attacks are provocative, and they must stop.”

Dar said Pakistan had succeeded in persuading the U.S. and Iran to enter dialogue and meet for the first time in 47 years. He said Pakistani mediation had been active from day one, working with partners and allies, and that three technical committees are now involved in the negotiations, dealing with the nuclear issue, frozen funds, and Lebanon.