Iran's Supreme Leader bars uranium transfer abroad
Shafaq News- Tehran (Updated at 22:06)
Iran's supreme leader has instructed authorities not to transfer the country's enriched uranium stockpile abroad, two senior Iranian sources told Reuters, hardening a central fault line in ongoing nuclear negotiations with Washington.
According to the sources, Mojtaba Khamenei directed Iranian authorities to keep the highly enriched uranium inside the country, rejecting one of Washington's core demands in the talks. Senior Iranian officials, the sources said, believe transferring the stockpile overseas would leave Iran more vulnerable to potential US or Israeli military action.
A US official, speaking to Fox News on Thursday, denied that Khamenei had formally issued such an instruction, but described Tehran's negotiating posture as still "hardline" and said Iran was "determined" to retain its enriched uranium within its borders.
The dispute over the stockpile has emerged as the central obstacle in negotiations. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed that Tehran and Washington had agreed to defer discussions over the uranium stockpile to later stages of the talks, describing it as the main sticking point.
Araghchi also disclosed that Iranian and Russian officials had held consultations over a proposal for Moscow to store the Iranian stockpile –an arrangement that has previously met resistance from both capitals.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Thursday that Moscow was prepared to support any future arrangements involving Iranian enriched uranium, adding that only the Iranian people held the right to determine the future of their nuclear program, including enrichment and the handling of nuclear material.
Israeli officials told Reuters that US President Donald Trump had assured Israel that any agreement with Tehran would require removing Iran's highly enriched uranium from the country. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has consistently demanded that any settlement include uranium removal, the dismantling of Iran's ballistic missile capabilities, and an end to Iranian support for armed groups across the region.
Iran currently enriches uranium to 60% purity, a level close to weapons-grade. The United States, Israel, and Western governments contend that this points to a weapons program. Tehran denies the charge and maintains its nuclear activities are for civilian purposes.
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