Iran's enriched uranium stockpile: can it be safely transferred?
Al Jazeera has published an analysis detailing the technical conditions for the safe transfer of Iran's 408-kilogram stockpile of enriched uranium. Atomic energy experts say the transfer could take 14 to 18 weeks under international supervision; the issue is central to ongoing peace talks.
Al Jazeera's detailed analysis evaluates the technical conditions for the physical transfer of Iran's stockpile of 408 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent. According to the March 2026 IAEA report, the stockpile is distributed across the Natanz and Fordow facilities; safe access to both sites is required to initiate any transfer. The stockpile, in uranium hexafluoride (UF6) form, requires a specialised transport container under particular temperature and humidity conditions.
Dr Toby Dalton of the Vienna-based Carnegie Endowment said the transfer is technically feasible but politically extremely sensitive. The US proposal calls for the stockpile to be moved to Russia's Chelyabinsk-65 facility under a 'finalise-out' formula; alternatively, China's Jiuquan facility in Gansu province is also under assessment. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said supervising the transfer would be 'the most sensitive task the current safeguards protocol could perform'.
The Iranian side's reservation rests on the experience that, in 2003 and after 2015, guarantees of 'returnability' of the stockpiles proved inadequate. Tehran is asking, in exchange for the transfer, for the release of $19.5 billion in frozen assets through Doha-based banks. The US Treasury said it is seeking 'a practical solution' on the frozen-asset question. A technical working group, mediated by Pakistan and Oman, is expected to convene in Doha within the next three weeks.
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