Khamenei orders enriched uranium stay in Iran: Reuters
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
- Directive challenges key US demand.
- Trump, Netanyahu demand uranium removal.
- Tehran fears disarmament invites future attacks.
Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has issued a strict directive blocking the removal of the country's near-weapons-grade uranium from its territory.
The order significantly hardens Tehran's diplomatic stance on a central US and 'Israeli' demand, threatening to further complicate negotiations aimed at ending the US-'Israeli' war on Iran.
According to two senior Iranian sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khameneihas mandated that the stockpile remain within the country.
"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 sources stated.
Iranian officials reportedly believe that transferring the material abroad would leave the nation highly vulnerable to future military actions by the United States and 'Israel'.
US, 'Israel' red lines
The Supreme Leader's order sets up a direct confrontation with Washington and Jerusalem.
On Thursday, US President Donald Trump explicitly vowed to reporters at the White House that the United States would seize or eliminate the stockpile.
"We will get it. We don't need it, we don't want it. We'll probably destroy it after we get it, but we're not going to let them have it." Trump stated.
'Israeli' officials noted that Trump has personally assured 'Israel' that any final peace agreement must include a clause forcing the removal of the highly enriched uranium.
'Israeli' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has similarly drawn an unyielding line, stating that he will not consider the war over until the enriched uranium is completely removed, Tehran's support for proxy militias ends, and Iran's ballistic missile capabilities are entirely eliminated.
Western states and 'Israel' have long accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, pointing to its enrichment of uranium to 60%—a level far exceeding civilian requirements and close to the 90% threshold required for a weapon.
Meanwhile Iran continues to deny that it is seeking nuclear arms.
When pressed for comment on the development, White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales declined to address the directive directly but stated, “President Trump has been clear about the United States’ red lines and will only make a deal that puts the American people first.”
As well, Iran's foreign ministry did not offer a response.
Ceasefire Vs. distrust
The diplomatic logjam comes amid a shaky ceasefire in a war that originally erupted following US-'Israeli' strikes on Iran on February 28.
In the ensuing escalation, Iran targeted Gulf states hosting US military bases, and heavy fighting broke out between 'Israel' and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.
Peace efforts mediated by Pakistan have yet to yield a major breakthrough.
The senior Iranian sources revealed that there is widespread suspicion among Tehran's political elite that the current pause in hostilities is merely a tactical deception by Washington designed to manufacture a false sense of security before restarting aerial campaigns.
Reinforcing this view, Iran's top peace negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, warned on Wednesday that "obvious and hidden moves by the enemy" indicate the United States is actively preparing to launch fresh attacks.
