The United States believes that Iran is seeking Russia’s help to bolster its nuclear program.

The US CNN discovered this from its own intelligence sources.

The US intelligence suggests that Iran has been asking Russia for assistance in acquiring additional nuclear materials and with nuclear fuel fabrication.

The fuel could help Iran power its nuclear reactors, thus potentially bringing the country closer to creating a nuclear weapon.

And it is also not clear whether Russia has agreed to help – the Kremlin has long been outwardly opposed to Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon.

The Iranian proposal has come amid an expanding partnership between Iran and Russia in recent months, including Iran sending drones and other equipment to Russia for use in its war in Ukraine.

Any covert assistance to Iran in the production of nuclear weapons would also mark a change in Russia’s stance on blocking Iran’s nuclear program.

As previously reported, the 2015 agreement limited Iran’s uranium enrichment activities to make it more difficult for Tehran to develop nuclear weapons, in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions.

US President Joe Biden has been trying to negotiate Iran’s return to the nuclear deal after his predecessor Donald Trump pulled out of the deal in 2018.

An Iranian foreign ministry official said last month that the US lacked the political will to renew the deal.

CNN sources note that Iran fears that the new nuclear deal will not be concluded or will be short-lived.

A deal with Russia would allow Iran to quickly resume its nuclear program if needed. But the very fact of such attempts by Iran undermines the prospect of a new agreement with the United States.