Tehran, Oct 2026 : Iran has firmly rejected the possibility of surrendering its stockpile of enriched uranium under any potential agreement with the United States, insisting that negotiations cannot resume until Washington addresses Tehran’s demands.
Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, conveyed the position during a meeting with Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir on Tuesday. Rezaei described the enriched uranium as a national asset and said the material would remain inside Iran for domestic use.
“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, according to The Times of Israel.
He also stressed that Washington must take concrete steps to restore Tehran’s confidence before diplomatic engagement could move forward. Iran maintained that the United States would first have to fulfil its conditions, indicating that the two countries remained far apart on the terms of a possible settlement.
The statement poses a significant challenge to ongoing diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict and address concerns surrounding Iran’s nuclear programme.
Pakistan has been attempting to mediate between Washington and Tehran, seeking a peaceful resolution and an eventual return to negotiations. Munir’s visit to Iran on Tuesday formed part of Islamabad’s efforts to facilitate dialogue between the two sides.
However, Rezaei’s remarks suggested that Tehran was unwilling to make concessions on its enriched uranium stockpile before its broader demands were addressed. The issue remains particularly sensitive, given longstanding disagreements between Iran and Western powers over the nature and scope of its nuclear activities.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has reiterated that he would not permit Iran to become a nuclear power. The conflict, which began on February 28, has placed mounting pressure on his administration to bring the hostilities to an end.
Last week, Trump expressed confidence that the war was approaching its conclusion, predicting that it would end “very quickly”. Speaking in Kentucky on Saturday, he also said fuel prices would decline once the conflict was over.
Trump has further claimed that US military operations had destroyed Iran’s nuclear capabilities, although Tehran’s continued insistence on retaining its enriched uranium stockpile highlights the unresolved questions surrounding its nuclear programme.
The contrasting positions of the two countries underscore the difficulties confronting diplomatic initiatives. While Washington has maintained that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons remains a central objective, Tehran has emphasised its right to retain nuclear material for domestic purposes.
Iran’s refusal to transfer any enriched uranium outside the country, coupled with its insistence that US demands be addressed before negotiations resume, leaves little indication of an immediate breakthrough.
With Pakistan continuing its mediation efforts, the possibility of renewed dialogue will depend on whether Washington and Tehran can narrow their differences over nuclear material, security concerns and the conditions required to end the conflict.
For now, Iran’s latest declaration signals that its enriched uranium stockpile remains a major obstacle to any prospective agreement, while the timing and prospects of a peaceful resolution remain uncertain.
(Disclaimer :The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
