Iran's security chief rejects moving enriched uranium out of the country

Tehran — Iran’s security chief Mohsen Rezaei has told Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir that Tehran will not allow any enriched nuclear material to leave the country, rejecting proposals to transfer part of Iran’s uranium stockpile abroad, Iranian state TV reported.

“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,” said Rezaei, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.

Munir is in Tehran as part of a renewed push to mediate a peace deal between Iran and the United States, AFP reported. Islamabad has proposed that Tehran transfer part of its enriched uranium to a third country as part of its effort to end the Iran-US war, NDTV reported.

Rezaei ruled out any early resumption of talks with Washington: “There will be no negotiations until America takes steps to build trust — a process that must begin with the fulfilment of Iran’s conditions.”

President Masoud Pezeshkian told Munir that “the Americans must first remove the threats and sanctions; only then can we engage in dialogue”. He added: “Today, our nation does not trust America. It believes that if we enter the negotiations, they (the Americans) will attack us again.”

Parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Washington must fulfil Iran’s seven conditions to regain Tehran’s trust, adding that “threats and military manoeuvres cannot influence Iran’s strategic decisions”.

Tehran has demanded a ceasefire across the Middle East, the unfreezing of its assets abroad and the lifting of sanctions on its oil sector. Munir’s Tehran visit, which Flip News covered yesterday, is part of Pakistan’s ongoing mediation between Washington and Tehran.

Sources: AFP via The Straits Times · NDTV · AFP via The Korea Times · Flip News