Tehran, May 14, (dpa/GNA) – Iran has proposed to create a nuclear consortium with other Gulf countries amid high-level talks with the United States, according to reports in Iranian and international media.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday that his recent visits to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were connected to ongoing nuclear negotiations with the United States.

“We are very interested in a regional understanding of this negotiation and a possible agreement that will lead to increased security and increased regional understanding,” he told reporters.

Iranian portal Didban said countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates could be involved in a facility for uranium enrichment on Iranian soil.

The US and Iran have been negotiating over Tehran’s nuclear programme in Oman, with Washington hoping to prevent the country from building atomic weapons.

The New York Times reported that Iran would only enrich uranium to a low level – below the threshold relevant for nuclear weapons – and then supply it to Arab states for civilian use.

Iranian news website Amwaj quoted a “high-ranking political source in Tehran” as backing the plan for a regional enrichment consortium. “The idea is good, and Iran can consider it – as long as it is not a substitute for Iran’s own enrichment.”

The proposed facilities could be located on Iranian islands in the Gulf, the Hammihan newspaper reported.

The talks come 10 years after Iran agreed in Vienna to limit its nuclear programme in the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

The US subsequently withdrew from the deal during President Donald Trump’s first term, with Washington imposing harsh sanctions on Tehran.

GNA

PDC