Kazakhstan offers to house Iran's uranium stockpile, IAEA chief confirms
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency has confirmed to the Financial Times that Kazakhstan has formally offered to receive and store Iran's enriched uranium stockpile, a significant diplomatic development with potential implications for ongoing nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Western powers. The offer, if accepted, would represent a tangible confidence-building measure in efforts to constrain Iran's nuclear programme.
Kazakhstan, which has previous experience hosting nuclear-related diplomatic mechanisms including the IAEA's low-enriched uranium bank, is seen as a credible third-party custodian. The offer signals Central Asian engagement in one of the most sensitive non-proliferation issues facing the international community.
The IAEA chief's disclosure to the Financial Times suggests the proposal is being treated seriously at the highest levels of nuclear diplomacy. Iran's willingness to transfer its stockpile abroad has been a central and contested element of successive rounds of nuclear talks, with Tehran previously resisting any arrangement that would remove the leverage provided by its accumulated enriched uranium.
The development comes at a critical juncture in nuclear diplomacy, with US-Iran indirect talks continuing under scrutiny and European powers pressing for a verifiable agreement. A successful transfer of Iran's uranium stockpile to Kazakhstan could meaningfully reduce international concerns over Tehran's nuclear breakout timeline and create conditions for broader diplomatic progress.
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