Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei has reportedly ordered that Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium remain inside the country, according to a report by Reuters citing two Iranian sources.
The sources said the directive prohibits exporting Iran’s stockpile of weapons-grade enriched uranium, reflecting what they described as a broader consensus within the Iranian leadership.
Meanwhile, Russian media outlet Interfax reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed to his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping the idea of transferring and storing Iranian enriched uranium in Russia.
The issue of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile remains one of the central disputes in negotiations aimed at ending the US-Israeli conflict with Iran.
According to the Reuters report, Iranian officials believe removing the uranium from the country would leave Iran more vulnerable to future attacks by the United States and Israel.
Israeli officials reportedly said US President Donald Trump had assured Israel that any future agreement would require the removal of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
The Iranian sources also said there is deep suspicion within Tehran that the current ceasefire could be used tactically by Washington to create a sense of security before renewed military strikes.
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Iranian parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Wednesday that American “overt and covert” actions indicate preparations for new attacks.
Trump, meanwhile, warned that Washington remains prepared to launch additional strikes if no agreement is reached, though he said the US might wait several days to receive what he described as “the right responses.”
According to the report, negotiations continue despite major disagreements over Iran’s nuclear programme, particularly regarding the fate of the enriched uranium stockpile and Tehran’s demand for recognition of its right to enrich uranium.
Iranian officials reportedly insist that their immediate priority is obtaining guarantees that the United States and Israel will not launch further attacks before entering detailed nuclear negotiations.
The report added that before the war, Tehran had indicated willingness to transfer half of its uranium enriched to 60 percent purity, but that position hardened following repeated American threats of military action.
One Iranian source suggested alternative solutions remain under discussion, including reducing enrichment levels under supervision by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The IAEA previously estimated that Iran possessed approximately 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity before Israeli and American strikes targeted Iranian nuclear facilities.
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