Iran Refuses to Transfer Enriched Uranium Abroad

Iran has insisted that it will not allow nuclear material to leave its territory under any circumstances. Tehran described such material, including its stockpile of enriched uranium, as a “key asset” belonging to the Iranian people.

As reported by AFP on Wednesday (21 October 2026), the statement was made by Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, during a recent meeting in Tehran with Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, Asim Munir.

“Not a single amount of enriched nuclear material will be allowed to leave Iran; such material is a key asset and national wealth for the Iranian people, intended for use within this country,” Rezaei said at his meeting with Munir on Tuesday (20 October), according to Iranian state television.

“There will be no negotiations until the United States takes steps to build confidence — a process that must begin by meeting Iran’s conditions,” he said.

Rezaei made the remarks as diplomatic efforts between Iran and the United States have faced a deadlock in recent weeks. Pakistan and Qatar, mediators in the conflict, have continued efforts to bring the parties back to negotiations to end the protracted war.

Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile was a major point of contention in negotiations between the two countries, which have been in conflict since late February.

US President Donald Trump said in May that Iran’s supply of highly enriched uranium would be handed over to the United States or destroyed. Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, however, said Tehran’s enriched uranium should not be sent abroad.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, estimated that Iran had around 440.9 kilogrammes of uranium enriched to 60 per cent when the United States and Israel bombed Tehran’s nuclear facilities in June 2025.

It is unclear how much of Iran’s uranium stockpile survived the bombing.

Iran has repeatedly said that it is not seeking to produce nuclear weapons, rejecting accusations by the United States and Israel.