Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday that negotiations involving Iran’s enriched nuclear material fell apart after the United States allegedly reversed an earlier understanding and insisted the material be transferred exclusively to American control rather than Russia.

Speaking at a lengthy press conference in the Kremlin following Russia’s Victory Day commemorations in Moscow, Putin described the failed discussions as a lost diplomatic opportunity that could have eased tensions surrounding Iran’s nuclear program and the broader crisis in the Persian Gulf.

During the exchange with reporters, Putin disclosed what he described as previously undisclosed details about negotiations involving Iran, Israel, Russia, and the United States.

“We didn’t just propose it; we already did it once, in 2015,” Putin said.

According to Putin, Russia had previously handled transfers tied to the international nuclear agreement with Iran and had earned Tehran’s trust in the process.

“Iran trusts us completely … and it has good reason to trust us, because, firstly, we’ve never violated any agreements.”

Putin said that during the latest round of discussions, all sides initially supported the idea of sending Iran’s enriched nuclear material to Russia.

“And initially, and this is sort of a secret, everyone agreed — representatives of the United States agreed, Iran agreed, Israel agreed,” Putin told the press about more recent negotiations.

He claimed the negotiations later collapsed after Washington toughened its demands and insisted the material be transferred only to the United States.

According to Putin, “the United States hardened its position and demanded that the uranium be transported only to the United States.”

Putin said Iran subsequently withdrew support for exporting the material overseas.

The Russian president said former Iranian official Ali Larijani later informed Moscow that Tehran no longer backed the plan to transfer the uranium abroad.

Instead, Putin said Iran proposed “creating a joint venture, but on Iranian territory, and diluting the uranium together there.”

Putin stated that Russia remained willing to accept that compromise if it helped reduce regional tensions.

He said Moscow responded to Tehran by saying: “Go ahead, we’re not against it. The main thing is that this defuses the situation.”

At the same time, Putin indicated he doubted the revised proposal would be accepted by either Washington or Jerusalem, describing the negotiations as having reached “a dead end.”

Despite Putin’s comments, a source within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government reportedly told Newsmax that Israel still supports the concept of transferring Iran’s nuclear material to Russia provided international inspection safeguards are included.

Putin argued that the Russian proposal would have ensured transparency through international supervision by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

“Everyone would see what it is, how much of it, and where it is,” Putin said. “Secondly, it would all be placed under IAEA control.”

He also said the process of diluting the uranium would have remained under international oversight as well.

According to Putin, “the work of liquefying this uranium would also be organized under IAEA control and would be transparent and safe.”

The Russian leader additionally defended Iran against accusations that it is actively pursuing nuclear weapons capability.

Putin asserted that “the IAEA has never said that there’s evidence that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons,” while also citing religious rulings issued by Iranian leaders opposing nuclear weapons development.

Throughout the press conference, Putin repeatedly portrayed Russia as acting primarily as a mediator attempting to lower tensions rather than seeking strategic advantage in the region.

“We simply want to make some small contribution, if it suits everyone, to defusing the situation,” he said.

Although the negotiations failed, Putin maintained that a diplomatic breakthrough remains achievable.

He insisted that “compromises are possible” and said Russia would back “any solution that will break this deadlock and make it possible to move toward a peaceful resolution.”

Putin’s remarks came amid continued tensions across the Persian Gulf tied to Iran’s nuclear activities and ongoing instability throughout the Middle East.

The Russian president warned that any further escalation would ultimately harm all sides involved and argued that there were “no longer any interested parties in continuing this standoff.”

Saturday’s press conference followed Russia’s annual Victory Day celebrations commemorating the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. This year’s events were noticeably reduced in scale because of ongoing security concerns linked to the war in Ukraine.

{Matzav.com}