Iran’s Rezaei rules out shipping enriched uranium abroad

Iran's top security official, Mohsen Rezaei, has said there are currently no negotiations between Tehran and Washington. He made the remarks in an interview with the pro-Iran broadcaster Al-Mayadeen. In further televised comments reported by Reuters on Wednesday, Rezaei said Iran would not allow "even a single particle" of enriched nuclear material to leave the country, and warned that any new US strikes would bring consequences.reuters.com+1

His comments go against suggestions of diplomatic progress after President Donald Trump met Qatar, the mediator, on Monday. They also harden Iran's position on the nuclear stockpile, which Washington says must be part of any first round of talks to end the war between the two countries.reuters.com

Waiting on seven conditions

Iran says the US must meet seven conditions from a June interim agreement before the Strait of Hormuz can reopen and negotiations can resume. Rezaei said Tehran had asked for a "clear and explicit" response but had not received one, though he added that Washington could still reply later. He also called reports of a planned meeting with Vice President JD Vance "entirely baseless and untrue." He said the US was deliberately signaling renewed dialogue to ease economic pressure and bring down oil prices.en.sedaily.com+1

"Any new US attacks will also be met with targeting US bases far away," Rezaei said. According to two senior Iranian sources who spoke to Reuters in May, Iran's Supreme Leader has ordered that the country's near-weapons-grade uranium not be sent abroad. The IAEA estimates Iran held 440.9 kg of uranium enriched to 60% when Israel and the US struck its nuclear facilities in June 2025. It is unclear how much of that survived.reuters.com

Washington leans on pressure

After meeting Qatar's prime minister, Trump said a return to major fighting was unlikely soon, but he still would not accept Iran's current truce plan. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking in Paris after G7 meetings, said sanctions and the US naval blockade were working well enough that major combat operations were unnecessary. "We don't need to conduct military strikes if we're achieving the same objective through economic means and economic pressure. That's not stalemate," he said.rte.ie

Analysts have noted that Trump's tone has become more conciliatory since Republicans lost the November 3 midterm elections. A person familiar with the administration's thinking said Vance prefers a deal, but Trump is convinced for now that a workable agreement is not possible. A senior Iranian official told Reuters last week that Iran had sent Washington a nuclear proposal through Qatar, to be discussed only after the US meets Tehran's seven demands.reuters.com+1