Tehran Says Enriched Uranium Stays Home as Nuclear Standoff Continues

Tehran draws a hard line on its enriched stockpile

Iran’s top security official, Mohsen Rezaei, has said that not a trace of enriched nuclear material will be shipped out of the country. In remarks broadcast by Lebanon’s Al Mayadeen network, he warned that any fresh American military action against the Islamic Republic would bring a response aimed at distant American installations.

His comments come as Washington’s officials have signaled less appetite for further strikes, a shift that analysts link to a softer posture from President Donald Trump following the Republican losses in the November 3 midterm elections.

Why the material matters to Iran

Rezaei argued that the enriched uranium is needed for future naval projects, specifically the design of nuclear-powered ships and submarines. He said Tehran had told Moscow that the material would stay inside Iran and be used domestically. Russia has previously offered to take the uranium away as part of a possible settlement, but has maintained that the decision rests with Tehran.

Two senior Iranian sources said in May that the Supreme Leader had ordered that the near-weapons-grade uranium must not leave the country.

The size of the stockpile

The International Atomic Energy Agency estimated that Iran held 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent before Israel and the United States struck Iranian nuclear sites in June 2025. That level is far above what civilian programs require. How much of that inventory survived the attacks remains uncertain.

Background

Israel, the United States and several other Western governments have long claimed Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons, an allegation Tehran rejects. Washington has insisted that nuclear questions be placed at the center of any early negotiations aimed at ending the conflict between the two countries.

What next

Rezaei has stated that no negotiations are currently taking place between Tehran and Washington. Iran has nonetheless passed a nuclear proposal to the United States through Qatar, and according to a senior Iranian official speaking to Reuters last week, it will only be considered once Washington agrees to seven conditions that Tehran has laid out.