Moscow will accept "any approach" in Iran's negotiations that recognizes that the republic has the "inalienable right" to enrich uranium for civilian, or "peaceful," purposes, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.
This means, Lavrov told reporters while in Beijing for a two-day visit this week, that whether Iran decides to pause or "insists on reserving this right," Russia will stand behind them, reports The Times of Israel on Wednesday.
"[Russia will accept] any approach based on this principle, the principle of the universality of the right to enrichment," he said, while emphasizing that Russia and China "firmly support" the talks to end the war.
This, he said, will allow the parties to "advance realistic and fair goals, fully respecting the legitimate rights of each party, in accordance with international law."
Iran is part of the 1970 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which gives it and other countries the right to peaceful nuclear energy programs that include safeguards.
The treaty, however, does not explicitly mention enrichment.
President Donald Trump insisted in an April 8 post to Truth Social that there "will be no enrichment of Uranium" and said that "the United States will, working with Iran, dig up and remove all of the deeply buried (B-2 Bombers) Nuclear 'Dust.'"
Meanwhile, Lavrov told reporters, "The International Atomic Energy Agency has never recorded that uranium enrichment in Iran had military purposes," reports Pars Today, quoting Iranian state media.
"The right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes is an inherent and inalienable right for Iran," the minister said.
Lavrov also defended Iran's military actions.
"Persian Gulf countries are well aware that Iran would not take aggressive actions in the region without American and Israeli attacks," he said, while calling on the United States to stop the war.
"I hope that America will be realistic and will not continue its aggression in West Asia, a situation from which even that country's allies are suffering," Lavrov added.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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