two senior Iranian sources as saying that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has issued a directive not to send highly enriched uranium, which is almost suitable for making nuclear weapons, abroad, thus hardening Tehran's stance on one of the main US demands in peace talks.
According to the agency, this could anger US President Donald Trump and complicate negotiations aimed at ending the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Israeli officials told Reuters that Trump assured Israel that Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, needed to make a nuclear weapon, would be removed from Iran and that any peace agreement should include a clause to that effect.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would not consider the war over unless enriched uranium was removed from Iran, Tehran ended its support for allied groups in the region, and Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities were eliminated.
One of the Iranian sources, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter, said, “The Supreme Leader’s directives, as well as the consensus within the establishment, stipulate that the stockpile of enriched uranium should not leave the country.”
The two sources said that senior Iranian officials believe that transferring those materials abroad would make the country more vulnerable to future US and Israeli attacks. The Supreme Leader has the final say on major state matters.
Neither the White House nor the Iranian Foreign Ministry responded to requests for comment.
Iran said today that it is studying the latest views sent by the United States to end the war, after US President Donald Trump indicated that Washington was prepared to wait a few days “to get the right answers” from Tehran, but threatened to launch new attacks unless it agreed to reach a deal.
Iran's official Nour News website quoted Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei as saying: "We have received the United States' views and are studying them."
He added that Pakistan, which hosted peace talks last month and is acting as an intermediary in the exchange of messages between the two sides, continues to mediate between Tehran and Washington, with several rounds of communication having taken place. The Pakistani Interior Minister visited Tehran on Wednesday.
Talks to end the war have made little progress six weeks after a fragile ceasefire took effect, while rising oil prices have raised concerns about inflation and its impact on the global economy. Trump is also facing domestic pressure ahead of the November midterm congressional elections, with his approval ratings nearing their lowest point since returning to the White House due to soaring fuel prices.
“Believe me, if we don’t get the right responses, things are going to move very quickly,” Trump said at Joint Base Andrews. “We are all ready to move.”
In response to a question about how long he would have to wait, he added: “It might be a few days, but things can move very quickly.”
The US president reiterated his determination to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. He told reporters earlier on Wednesday, “We are in the final stages with Iran. We’ll see what happens. Either we make a deal or we do some slightly bad things, but I hope that doesn’t happen.”
He added: “I would rather see some people killed than many killed. We can do it either way.”
Earlier, Iran's Revolutionary Guard warned against a resumption of attacks. In a statement, it said: "If aggression against Iran is repeated, the promised regional war will this time extend to areas far beyond the region."
Iran presented a new proposal to the United States this week, but what it says publicly about its contents is a repetition of terms previously rejected by Trump, including control of the Strait of Hormuz, compensation for war damages, lifting of sanctions, release of frozen assets and funds, and withdrawal of US forces from the region.
Two Chinese tankers cross the strait
The Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas shipments passed before the war, has remained virtually closed since the outbreak of war, causing the biggest ever disruption to global energy supplies.
On Wednesday, Iran published a map showing a “controlled maritime zone” in the Strait of Hormuz, stating that passage would require permission from an authority it established to oversee the strait. It says it aims to open the strait to friendly nations that adhere to its conditions. This could include imposing transit fees, which Washington says is unacceptable.
Two Chinese supertankers carrying a combined total of about four million barrels of oil transited the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesdaywhile Seoul said a South Korean tanker carrying two million barrels of crude oil from Kuwait was also transiting the strait in coordination with Iran. Lloyds List, a maritime tracking firm, said at least 54 ships passed through the strait last week, double the number recorded the previous week. Iran said 26 ships had transited the strait in the past 24 hours, still a fraction of the daily volume of 125 to 140 ships before the war.
