Iran Bars Export of Enriched Uranium
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Iran’s supreme leader has ordered that enriched uranium close to weapons-grade levels cannot be transferred outside the country, according to two senior Iranian sources familiar with the matter. The move further hardens Tehran’s position on a key demand of the United States in ongoing peace negotiations.
This directive from Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei could further frustrate U.S. President Donald Trump and complicate efforts to end the conflict between the United States and Israel over Iran.
Israeli officials told Reuters that Trump has assured Israel that Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium required for nuclear weapons production will be removed from the country. They added that any peace agreement must include provisions on this issue.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would not consider the war over until Iran’s enriched uranium is removed, its support for proxy militias is halted, and its ballistic missile capabilities are dismantled.
One of the two Iranian sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “The supreme leader’s directive and consensus within state institutions is that the enriched uranium stockpile cannot leave the country.”
According to the sources, top Iranian officials believe that transferring the material abroad would make the country more vulnerable to potential future attacks by the United States and Israel.
The supreme leader holds the final authority on major state matters in Iran.
The White House and Iran’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the matter.
Source: Reuters (adaptive)