Iran refuses to hand over its enriched uranium: a decision that threatens negotiations with Washington

Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has ordered that Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium remain within the country, according to two senior Iranian sources cited Thursday. This decision risks further complicating talks with the United States aimed at ending the conflict involving Iran, Israel, and Washington.

According to these sources, this directive represents a major hardening of Tehran's position on one of the main points of contention with the United States. Washington demands that Iranian enriched uranium be exported from the country as part of any potential regional peace and security agreement.

Israeli officials have stated that the American president Donald Trump Israel had assured Iran that a future agreement would include the removal of its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. This material is considered sensitive because, at a certain level of enrichment, it can be used in the manufacture of a nuclear weapon.

For several years, Israel, the United States, and several Western powers have accused Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons. These suspicions are based in particular on the enrichment of uranium to 60%, a level far exceeding civilian needs and close to the estimated military threshold of 90%. Tehran, however, continues to deny any military nuclear ambitions.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently stated that he would not consider the conflict over until enriched uranium was removed from Iran and Tehran's strategic military capabilities, including its ballistic missiles and support for allied groups in the region, were neutralized.

According to Iranian sources, the country's leaders believe that transferring Iran's uranium stockpile abroad would weaken national security and make the country more vulnerable to potential US or Israeli attacks. In Iran, the Supreme Leader has the final say on major strategic and diplomatic decisions.