From The MEMRI Archives – Obama Administration Lead Iran Coordinator Amb. Stephen Mull In February.

Peloni:  As we are once again hearing talk about Iran preferring to hand its enriched uranium to a third party such as Russia, it should occur that they are simply trying to return to the failed JPCOA agreement of 2015 while pretending that we don’t know where this story might end, when in fact, we have been down this road once before.  Iran must be made to relinquish its enriched uranium, or the responsible parties must go in and seize it.  As Pres. Trump has noted many times, Iran can not be allowed to become a nuclear armed nation, and by playing this game of charades

A. Savyon, Yigal Carmon | MEMRI | April 20, 2026

Screengrab via Vimeo

According to the Wall Street Journal, in the Oman-mediated U.S.-Iran talks in Geneva today, February 17, 2026, Iranian officials signaled that they “might offer to pause uranium enrichment for up to three years” – that is, until the end of President Trump’s term of office – and that they might be willing to remove “some” of their enriched uranium stockpiles out of Iran to another country.

Below we are republishing a MEMRI report on what happened after Iran agreed to ship 8.5 tons of enriched uranium to Russia, under the Obama administration’s 2015 JCPOA Iran nuclear deal. The events are recounted by Amb. Stephen Mull, the administration’s State Department lead coordinator on Iran, at the February 11, 2016 hearing titled “Iran Nuclear Deal Oversight: Implementation And Its Consequences” before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Introduction

While the U.S. protests Iran’s minor breach, announced this week, of the 300 kg limit on its stockpile of low-enriched uranium set in the 2015 JCPOA nuclear deal,[1] the location of 8.5 tons of Iranian-enriched uranium that Iran ostensibly shipped to its ally Russia that year remains completely unknown. It could well be back in Iran.

Seven months after the JCPOA was concluded, and two months after the ostensible shipment, Amb. Stephen Mull, the Obama administration’s State Department lead coordinator on Iran, declared that “it has not yet been decided where exactly Russia will put this” and added: “I believe, if it has not arrived yet, it will very soon.”[2]

On the other hand, what is certain is that in December 2015, according to the Russian Tass news agency,[3] Russia provided Iran with 200 tons of yellowcake.

The U.S. Has No Clue Where Iran’s 8.5 Tons Of Enriched Uranium Are

At a February 11, 2016 hearing before the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, Amb. Mull acknowledged that Washington had lost track of the enriched uranium, which, he said, was now “on a Russian ship, in Russian custody, under Russian control” – that is, no longer under IAEA oversight.

Indeed, in response to Rep. Chris Smith’s (R-NJ) question at the hearing, “Do we have any on site accountability? Can we go and verify ourselves, or?” Amb. Mull replied: “We cannot.” Rep. Smith said: “We cannot. Who does?” to which Amb. Mull replied: “…Russia is responsible for maintaining access and controls.”

Rep. Smith then asked, “Where has it been put?” and Amb. Mull answered: “It has not been fully, according to our information it has not yet been decided where exactly Russia will put this.”

To Rep. Smith’s question “But where did it go? I mean it has to be somewhere,” Amb. Mull replied: “…I believe, if it has not arrived yet, it will very soon.”

In reply to Rep. Smith’s comment that “we are then trusting the Russians to say that they have it under their purview, that they are watching it? I mean they are so close to Iran, they have doubledealed us and especially the Middle East, the Syrians, I don’t know why we would trust them. Could you tell us where it is going?” Amb. Mull replied: “That is a Russian Government responsibility to decide where it goes. We do not have concerns about Russian custody of this material. What is important in this deal is will it go back to Iran? And I can guarantee there are sufficient controls in place that if one piece of dust of that material goes back into Iran we are going to be aware of it.”

Rep. Smith then asked, “But again, can the IAEA go to that ship and verify that it is there and follow it as it goes to its final resting place?” To this, Amb. Mull responded: “IAEA has different monitoring arrangements with each, each country in the world.” (As noted, Mull had stated that the uranium was now in “Russian custody, under Russian control” – that is, not under IAEA oversight.)

To Rep. Smith’s statement that “… it is not even in a place, it is not in any city that you say. It is not in any, it is not somewhere in Russia that we could say there it is. We don’t even know where it is,” Amb. Mull replied: “The IAEA verified the loading of all of this material…”

In response to Rep. Smith’s pointing out that “loading and where does it end up is very important,” Amb. Mull said, “That is the Russian Government’s responsibility to decide where it goes.”

Rep. Smith concluded, “That is a flaw, in my opinion.”

To view Amb. Mull’s testimony, click here.

Appendix: Amb. Mull’s Testimony

The following is Amb. Stephen Mull’s testimony at the February 11, 2016 hearing.[4]

IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL OVERSIGHT: IMPLEMENTATION AND ITS CONSEQUENCES

HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED FOURTEENTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION FEBRUARY 11, 2016

Ambassador MULL. The material that Iran shipped out, that 25,000 pounds of nuclear, enriched nuclear material, Russia took that under its control. We obviously have many differences over many years with Russia, but one of the features of our relationship is pretty close cooperation on protection of nuclear material. We do not have concerns that that material —

Mr. SMITH OF NEW JERSEY. Do we have any on site accountability? Can we go and verify ourselves or?

Ambassador MULL. We cannot.

Mr. SMITH OF NEW JERSEY. We cannot. Who does?

Ambassador MULL. Well, we – I mean Russia has tons of nuclear material and has for many years. Russia is responsible for maintaining access and controls.

Mr. SMITH OF NEW JERSEY. What town is it actually being – where is the repository for it?

Ambassador MULL. I’m sorry?

Mr. SMITH OF NEW JERSEY. Where has it been put?

Ambassador MULL. It has not been fully, according to our information it has not yet been decided where exactly Russia will put this.

Mr. SMITH OF NEW JERSEY. Because if it has been shipped out it has gone somewhere. It’s not —

Ambassador MULL. It is still in the process of being delivered in its entirety.

Mr. SMITH OF NEW JERSEY. So it is not all shipped out yet?

Ambassador MULL. It is all shipped out. It all left Iran on a ship.

Mr. SMITH OF NEW JERSEY. But where did it go? I mean it has to be somewhere. Ambassador MULL. It is on a Russian ship, in Russian custody, under Russian control. Mr. SMITH OF NEW JERSEY. Actually on the ship right now?

Ambassador MULL. I believe, if it has not arrived yet, it will very soon. And it will be kept within control of Russian facilities.

Mr. SMITH OF NEW JERSEY. But again, we are then trusting the Russians to say that they have it under their purview, that they are watching it? I mean they are so close to Iran, they have doubledealed us and especially the Middle East, the Syrians, I don’t know why we would trust them. Could you tell us where it is going? I mean that is important. And then I will —

Ambassador MULL. That is a Russian Government responsibility to decide where it goes. We do not have concerns about Russian custody of this material. What is important in this deal is will it go back to Iran? And I can guarantee there are sufficient controls in place that if one piece of dust of that material goes back into Iran we are going to be aware of it

Mr. SMITH OF NEW JERSEY. But again, can the IAEA go to that ship and verify that it is there and follow it as it goes to its final resting place?

Ambassador MULL. IAEA has different monitoring arrangements with each, each country in the world.

Mr. SMITH OF NEW JERSEY. I would not have confidence that – I mean it is not even in a place, it is not in any city that you say. It is not in any, it is not somewhere in Russia that we could say there it is. We don’t even know where it is.

Ambassador MULL. The IAEA verified the loading of all of this material onto the —  Mr. SMITH OF NEW JERSEY. But loading and where does it end up is very important. Ambassador MULL. That is the Russian Government’s responsibility to decide where it goes.

Mr. SMITH OF NEW JERSEY. That is a flaw, in my opinion.