Iranian officials say the country’s leadership has ordered that highly enriched uranium remain inside Iran, complicating ongoing negotiations with the United States and Israel over Tehran’s nuclear program.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Iran’s leadership has ordered that the country’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium remain inside the country, according to two senior Iranian sources, a move that could intensify tensions with the United States and Israel as diplomatic negotiations continue over Tehran’s nuclear program.
The sources said Mojtaba Khamenei issued the directive amid ongoing discussions involving Washington, Tehran, and Israeli officials regarding the future of Iran’s uranium enrichment activities and regional military tensions.
According to the Reuters, Iranian officials believe transferring the uranium abroad would leave the country strategically vulnerable in the event of future attacks by the United States or Israel.
“The Supreme Leader’s directive, and the consensus within the establishment, is that the stockpile of enriched uranium should not leave the country,” one of the Iranian officials said anonymously because of the sensitivity of the negotiations.
The position directly conflicts with one of the key conditions reportedly sought by both the United States and Israel in any future agreement involving Iran’s nuclear program.
Israeli officials told Reuters that Donald Trump had assured Israel that Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium would ultimately be removed from Iranian territory as part of a broader diplomatic framework.
Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly stated that Israel will not consider the conflict resolved unless Iran relinquishes its enriched uranium stockpile, halts support for regional proxy militias, and dismantles its ballistic missile capabilities.
The White House and Iran’s foreign ministry did not publicly respond to requests for comment.
The dispute comes amid a fragile ceasefire following months of conflict that began with joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iranian targets on Feb. 28. Iran later launched attacks against Gulf states hosting American military bases, while fighting intensified between Israel and the Iran-backed group Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Diplomatic negotiations have continued under mediation efforts involving Pakistan, though major disagreements remain unresolved. Among the most contentious issues are Iran’s uranium enrichment rights, the fate of existing stockpiles, and guarantees against future military strikes.
Iranian officials reportedly remain deeply suspicious that the current pause in hostilities could be temporary.
According to the sources, many within Iran’s leadership believe the United States may be using diplomacy to create a false sense of security before renewing military operations.
Iranian negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf stated Wednesday that “obvious and hidden moves by the enemy” indicated preparations for possible future attacks by the United States.
Trump separately stated Wednesday that the United States remains prepared to take additional military action if Tehran refuses to agree to a broader peace arrangement, although he suggested Washington could wait “a few days” to evaluate developments.
The Iranian sources said negotiators have narrowed differences on some issues but continue to clash over uranium enrichment and Iran’s insistence that its right to enrich uranium be formally recognized.
Iranian officials maintain that Tehran’s primary objective is securing guarantees that the United States and Israel will not launch further military strikes.
Only after those assurances are secured, the sources said, would Iran consider more detailed negotiations regarding its nuclear program.
Iran has consistently denied seeking to build nuclear weapons.
Israel, meanwhile, is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons but has maintained a longstanding policy neither confirming nor denying the existence of such an arsenal.
Before the outbreak of hostilities, Iranian officials had reportedly signaled a willingness to transfer roughly half of the country’s uranium enriched to 60 percent purity, significantly above civilian energy requirements but below typical weapons-grade levels.
The sources said Iran’s position hardened following repeated warnings from Trump that military action remained an option if Tehran rejected U.S. demands.
Despite the deadlock, Iranian officials indicated potential compromises may still exist.
“There are solutions like diluting the stockpile under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency,” one source said.
International Atomic Energy Agency estimates indicated that Iran possessed approximately 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity before Israeli and American strikes targeted Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi stated in March that much of the surviving material was believed to be stored within tunnel complexes at Iran’s Isfahan nuclear facility, while additional material may remain at the Natanz enrichment site.
Iranian officials continue to argue that enriched uranium is required for medical research and operation of Tehran’s research reactor, which utilizes uranium enriched to approximately 20 percent.
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