Iran ready to dilute its enriched uranium if 'all sanctions are lifted'

Iran would be willing to “dilute” its 60 percent-enriched uranium if the US lifts “all sanctions”, the head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization said Monday, without specifying whether this meant all sanctions against his country or only those imposed by the United States.

Iran is prepared to dilute its highly enriched uranium if the US lifts all sanctions on the country, the head of its atomic energy agency said Monday after talks resumed with Washington.

"In conclusion, in response to a question about the possibility of diluting 60 percent enriched uranium ... the head of the Atomic Energy Agency said that this depends on whether all sanctions would be lifted in return," the official IRNA news agency reported, referring to agency chief Mohammad Eslami, without specifying whether this included all sanctions on Iran or only those imposed by the US.

Diluting uranium means mixing it with blend material to reduce the enrichment level, so that the final product does not exceed a given enrichment threshold.

Before US and Israeli strikes on its nuclear facilities in June last year, Iran had been enriching uranium to 60 percent, far exceeding the 3.67 percent limit allowed under a now-defunct nuclear agreement reached with world powers in 2015.

Western countries, led by the US, suspect Tehran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons, a claim denied by Iran.

According to the UN's nuclear watchdog, Iran is the only non-nuclear-weapons state enriching uranium to 60 percent.

It is also unknown where more than 400kg of highly enriched uranium that Iran possessed prior to the war has ended up, with UN inspectors last recording its location on June 10.