Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said during a state visit to China on Wednesday that Iran has an “inalienable” right to enrich uranium for civilian purposes, according to the Times of Israel.
“The right to enrich uranium for civilian purposes is an inalienable right of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Lavrov said at a press conference on Tuesday after a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. according to the Times of Israel.
Access to this uranium has been a hard line for US President Donald Trump in the ongoing peace negotiations with Iran.
“There will be no uranium enrichment,” Trump wrote in an April 8 post on Truth Social, adding that the US would work with Iran to dig up any remaining nuclear material in the country to ensure the Islamic Republic would not have access to any uranium.
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks at a press conference in Beijing, China. April 15, 2026. (Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Vice President J.D. Vance, who led the U.S. delegation during Saturday’s negotiations with Iranian officials in Islamabad, Pakistan, doubled down on that red line.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Chinese President Xi Jinping participate in a bilateral meeting in Beijing, China. April 15, 2026. (Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
“The president doesn’t want the next president or the president after that to worry about this program, so we’d like to get that material completely out of the country so the United States can take control of it.
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Despite the US hard line, Russia’s top diplomat appeared to openly defy the US demand and speak out in strong terms against what he saw as US global control.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a bilateral meeting in Beijing, China. April 15, 2026 (Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
“Neither China, nor Russia, nor the majority of countries in the world can accept this approach,” Lavrov said in comments on a Russian state website.
According to Vance, Iran’s peace talks have stalled because of their refusal to completely give up their nuclear program. Nuclear experts praised the decision.
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