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Iran is refusing to export its 300kg stockpile of highly enriched uranium, but is willing to reduce the purity of the stockpile it keeps under the supervision of the UN nuclear inspectorate, the IAEA, Iranian sources said.
The proposal will be at the heart of the offer Iran will make to the US in the coming days, as US President Donald Trump considers whether to use his massive naval buildup in the Middle East to attack the country.
The news came as protests erupted on Saturday at the University of Medical Sciences in Mashhad and at least two Tehran universities, sparking fresh clashes in the streets.
Universities are reopening after being closed due to fears of protests. At Sharif University, students chanted "Javed Shah," "Until the mullah is covered, this homeland will not be a homeland," and "Death to the dictator." The president of Sharif University called on students to stop, warning that authorities would force classes back online.
Iran has a stockpile of uranium enriched to 60%, close to weapons grade, but is willing to lower the purity to 20% or below.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also claims that there has been no US demand to give up the right to enrichment within Iran. The focus is on the purity of the enrichment and the number of centrifuges that will be allowed.
There had been discussions about sending reserves to Russia and linking Iran's domestic enrichment program with an overseas consortium, but Iranian sources insist that the concept of a consortium has not yet been raised.
Iranian media close to the government quoted an Iranian diplomat as saying: "We emphasized this position during the negotiations that nuclear materials will not leave the country."
The Iranian description of its relatively uncompromising position means that great weight will have to be given to the degree of access that will be granted to the IAEA to inspect nuclear sites.
The Iranian offer will likely determine whether Trump feels compelled to launch military action against the country.
In an interview in the US, broadcast on Friday, Araghchi said that "Washington has not asked Tehran to permanently suspend uranium enrichment," adding that Tehran had not offered Washington a temporary suspension of uranium enrichment.
He dismissed reports that Iran had proposed suspending uranium enrichment for two to three years, saying: "It is not true that the United States has called for a complete cessation of enrichment."
His remarks were contradicted by US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz, who, prompted by his interviewer, said the US was seeking "zero enrichment" from Iran.
Reza Nasri, an Iranian lawyer with contacts within the Foreign Ministry, warned: “if Iran is attacked while the nuclear disputes can still be resolved diplomatically in a fair and equitable manner, other regional states will inevitably draw one conclusion: nuclear weapons are the only real deterrent against the US and Israel.”
In London, about 1,500 protesters marched on Saturday to call on the UK government to close the Iranian embassy. Some people held pictures of Iran's exiled crown prince, Reza Pahlavi, who one demonstrator said "stands with the people of Iran."
One participant, an Iranian citizen who did not want to be identified, said Pahlavi was the "only alternative" leader.
He added that "we are not a dictatorship. We do not want dictatorship; we just want democracy."
Protests are also expected at a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday, when an Iranian official, Afsaneh Nadipour, will take her seat for the first time as a full member of the advisory council.
The UN Human Rights Council Advisory Committee consists of 18 independent experts from five UN regional groups and serves as the intellectual arm of the Human Rights Council. Nominations are made by governments and elected by the council.
Nadipour was elected to a three-year term in October.
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