Iran: no particle of enriched uranium will leave the country, says security chief
Mohsen Rezaei warned the United States against renewed attacks and reiterated Tehran’s conditions for any talks.
Iran’s top security official warned that no particle of enriched uranium will leave the country, declaring that Tehran would respond if the United States resumed attacks. The statement was made today by Mohsen Rezaei, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
Context and numbers
Analysts note that U.S. President Donald Trump has adopted a more conciliatory posture after Republicans suffered a heavy defeat in last week’s midterm elections, and some polls show public opposition in the United States to a war with Iran as a factor. Rezaei said there are currently no negotiations between Tehran and Washington.
Two senior Iranian sources disclosed that the Supreme Leader ordered in May that uranium enriched to levels suitable for nuclear weapons production should not be sent abroad. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) estimates that at the time of the Israeli‑American strikes on nuclear facilities in June 2025, Iran held 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent — a level well above what is required for civilian use. It is not known how much of that material ‘survived’ the strikes.
Israel, the United States and other Western countries long accuse Iran of seeking a nuclear weapons capability, an allegation Tehran continues to reject. Washington says the nuclear issue must be at the forefront of any negotiations to end the war.
Iran recently transmitted a proposal to the United States via Qatar regarding its nuclear programme, a senior Iranian official said last week, but Tehran says the proposal will be discussed only after Washington meets seven demands. Among those demands, Tehran wants a halt to hostilities on all fronts including in Lebanon, an end to the maritime blockade and to sanctions on Iran, the unfreezing of Iranian assets, a reduction of U.S. military presence in the region and compensation for military damage.
The statement from Rezaei underscores Tehran’s intention to retain and control its enriched uranium stockpile while keeping open the possibility of linking any talks to a broad set of regional and financial conditions.
Photo: press material from the event
