Iran willing to reduce uranium stockpile

Amid renewed nationwide protests, Iran has expressed its willingness to reduce its highly enriched uranium stockpile. Iranian sources said Tehran is ready to reduce its 300 kg of highly enriched uranium abroad, but also to reduce its purity under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Iran is set to present the proposal to Washington in the coming days, just as US President Donald Trump is considering deploying a large navy to the Middle East and attacking Iran. Iran currently has enriched uranium to 60 percent, close to the capacity to produce nuclear weapons. Tehran is now proposing to reduce this purity to 20 percent or below.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claimed that the US was not demanding a complete halt to uranium enrichment inside Iran. Rather, the main focus of the talks now is on the level of enrichment and how many centrifuges it will be allowed to use. Although the stockpile was previously said to be sent to Russia, Iranian diplomats have made it clear that no nuclear material will leave the country.
Meanwhile, unrest inside Iran has grown amid the diplomatic deadlock. Fresh protests broke out at Mashhad Medical University and at least two universities in Tehran on Saturday (February 21). Students at Sharif University took to the streets to chant slogans directly against the regime, leading to clashes with police. The incident came shortly after universities that had been closed due to fears of protests reopened. Authorities have warned that classes will be moved online again if the protests continue.
International pressure on Iran is also mounting. About 1,500 people demonstrated in London demanding the closure of the Iranian embassy. On the other hand, protests are also likely to occur there as Iran’s representative to the UN Human Rights Council, Afsaneh Nadipour, is due to take office in Geneva.
In this complex situation, Iranian lawyer Reza Nasri has warned that if Iran is attacked despite the opportunity for diplomatic talks, regional states will assume that the only way to deter the US or Israel is to acquire nuclear weapons. Whether Trump ultimately takes military action will likely depend on this new Iranian proposal.

Source: The Guardian.