Iran’s security chief says no enriched uranium will leave the country

Iran’s security chief rejects any export of enriched uranium

Iran’s secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei, told Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir on Tuesday that not a single particle of enriched nuclear material will leave Iran. The remark was aired on state television.

“Not even a tiny bit of enriched nuclear material will leave Iran; such materials constitute a major asset and national wealth for the Iranian people, intended for use within the country,” Rezaei said.

Conditions for talks with the United States

Rezaei added that Tehran will not sit at a negotiating table until the United States takes concrete steps to build trust. He listed a series of pre‑conditions, among them:

• removal of all U.S. threats and sanctions,
• unfreezing of Iranian assets held abroad,
• lifting of oil‑sector sanctions,
• a cease‑fire across West Asia.

“There will be no negotiations until America takes steps to build trust – a process that must begin with the fulfilment of Iran’s conditions,” he told Munir.

Parallel messages from Tehran’s leadership

President Masoud Pezeshkian echoed the security chief’s stance in a separate meeting with Munir, saying Iran does not trust the United States and fears any agreement would be used to attack Iran again. Parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf made similar remarks, stressing that “threats and military manoeuvres cannot influence Iran’s strategic decisions.”

Context of the standoff

The statements come amid a stalled nuclear dialogue that has lingered since indirect talks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly failed to produce a breakthrough. Iran has repeatedly warned it will not hand over its enriched uranium, which the state media says is enriched to 60 %, a level close to the 90 % threshold for weapons‑grade material.

Washington and its allies accuse Tehran of seeking a nuclear weapons capability, a charge Iran denies. The latest Iranian refusal follows a June memorandum that sought a permanent resolution to the West Asia conflict, a deal that quickly collapsed.

What’s next?

With Rezaei’s unequivocal refusal, any future negotiations will have to address the listed pre‑conditions first. The United States has not yet responded publicly to the Iranian statements. As the talks remain at an impasse, the region watches closely for any shift that might reopen diplomatic channels.

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Key take‑aways

• Iran’s top security official rules out any export of enriched uranium.
• Negotiations with the United States are blocked until Tehran’s seven conditions are met.
• President Pezeshkian and speaker Ghalibaf back the hardline position.
• Enriched uranium is reported to be at 60 % purity, according to Iranian state media.