Russia's Lavrov says Iran has 'inalienable' right to enrich uranium, openly defying Trump's demands

Russia's overseas curate Sergey Lavrov said that Iran has an "inalienable" close to enrich uranium for civilian purposes during a authorities sojourn to China connected Wednesday, according to the Times of Israel.

"The close to enrich uranium for civilian purposes is an inalienable close of the Islamic Republic of Iran," Lavrov said during a Tuesday property league pursuing a bilateral gathering with Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to the Times of Israel.

Access to said uranium has been a hard enactment for U.S. President Donald Trump successful ongoing bid negotiations with Iran.

"There volition beryllium nary enrichment of Uranium," Trump wrote successful an April 8 station connected Truth Social, adding that the U.S. would beryllium moving with Iran to excavation up each remaining atomic materials successful the state to guarantee the Islamic Republic would not person entree to immoderate uranium.

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Russian overseas curate Sergey Lavrov speaks astatine a property league successful Beijing, China. April 15, 2026. (Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Vice President JD Vance, who led the U.S. delegation during Saturday negotiations with Iranian officials successful Islamabad, Pakistan, doubled down connected that reddish line.

"The enriched uranium that the Iranians presently possess, we person said that we privation that to travel our of their country, and we would similar to instrumentality possession of it," Vance told Fox News' Brett Baier connected Monday.

Russian overseas curate Sergey Lavrov and Chinese President Xi Jinping enactment successful a bilateral gathering successful Beijing, China. April 15, 2026. (Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

"The president doesn't privation to permission the adjacent president oregon the president aft that to beryllium worrying astir this programme truthful we would similar to get that worldly retired of the state wholly truthful that the United States has power implicit it.

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Despite the U.S. hard line, Russia's apical diplomat appeared to openly defy the U.S. demand, speaking successful beardown presumption against what helium viewed arsenic American planetary control.

Russian overseas curate Sergey Lavrov shakes hands with Chinese president Xi Jinping during a bilateral gathering successful Beijing, China. April 15, 2026 (Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

"Neither China nor Russia, nor the bulk of countries passim the world, tin judge this approach," Lavrov said successful remarks posted to a Russian authorities website.

The bid talks successful Iran stalled, according to Vance, due to the fact that of their refusal to wholly springiness up their atomic program. Nuclear experts praised the decision.

"The U.S. squad was omniscient to locomotion distant erstwhile it became wide the Iranians would not hold to Washington’s halfway atomic demands. Tehran maintaining enriched uranium stocks and uranium enrichment capabilities provides it with a pathway to atomic weapons, plain and simple," Andrea Stricker, lawman manager of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ nonproliferation program, told Fox News Digital.

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Fox News Digital contacted the U.S. State Department and the Russian Foreign Ministry for remark but did not perceive backmost immediately.

Fox News Digital's Benjamin Weinthal contributed to this report.