Iran has proposed establishing a regional uranium enrichment consortium involving Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to address international concerns over its nuclear program. The initiative aims to enhance transparency and reassure the global community of the program’s peaceful intentions.
Under the proposed plan, enrichment activities would be limited to 3.67% purity—the threshold set by the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), from which the U.S. withdrew in 2018. The consortium would operate within Iran’s existing nuclear facilities, with the UAE and Saudi Arabia participating as stakeholders and funders. This arrangement would grant them access to Iranian nuclear technology and allow their engineers to be present on-site, thereby increasing oversight and confidence in the program’s civilian nature.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi recently discussed the concept in discussions with UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Dubai and U.S. officials in Oman. While the U.S. has called for Iran to cease all enrichment activities, the consortium plan is seen as a potential compromise to maintain Iran’s enrichment capabilities under strict international supervision.
The concept of a regional enrichment consortium was initially suggested in 2023 by former Iranian negotiator Seyed Hossein Mousavian and physicist Frank von Hippel. It is designed to foster regional cooperation and build trust among Middle Eastern nations regarding nuclear activities.
