Iran-US War: Mohsen Rezaei Says ‘Not a Gram of Enriched Uranium Will Leave Iran’ — What We Know So Far | Today’s news
Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei, ruled out sending Iran’s enriched nuclear material abroad. In a post on X after meeting Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir in Tehran, Rezaei said: “Not a single gram of enriched uranium will leave Iran.”
Rezaei made similar remarks during a meeting with Pakistan’s Asim Munir in Tehran. In an interview with Munir Rezaei, he described the stockpile as a national asset for domestic use, Iran International reported.
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“…such materials represent a major asset and national wealth for the Iranian people, intended for use in the country,” Rezaei was quoted as saying by AFP.
The Iranian leader demanded that all Iranian demands be met in order to move the talks forward. These conditions include the abolition of pressure, threats and sanctions.
“There will be no negotiations until the United States takes steps to build confidence. This process must begin with full compliance with all of Iran’s conditions,” Rezaei wrote on X.
Iran “red line”
The U.S. wants substantial curbs on Iran’s uranium enrichment capabilities, while Tehran favors relief from the U.S. blockade and sanctions along with the resumption of maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz as the war in West Asia continues.
Iran says the uranium enrichment is for domestic purposes and will not be used to make a nuclear weapon. Leaders of the Islamic Republic have repeatedly emphasized Iran’s right to enrich uranium.
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“Iran will never give up what it considers its right to enrich uranium,” a senior Iranian official told Reuters in early October, rebuffing US demands that Tehran significantly reduce its uranium enrichment capacity as part of any deal to end the war.
The official reportedly said the US recognition of Iran’s right to enrichment was a “red line” for Tehran. Iran will “never give up its right to enrich itself”, the official said, although the details and extent of enrichment could be discussed later.
US Vice President JD Vance earlier told Reuters that Iran would have to make “meaningful” reductions in its enrichment capacity to meet US demands and questioned why Tehran needed uranium enriched to 60 percent unless it intended to build a nuclear weapon. He said Washington wanted concrete steps from Tehran rather than assurances.
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What we know about Iran’s uranium stockpile
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) estimates that Iran possesses more than 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium, enough for several nuclear weapons if further refined. These are primarily stored at key known sites in Isfahan, Fordow and Natanz.
While Tehran denies it is seeking nuclear weapons, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog said concerns about its potential capabilities “have not been completely allayed”. Tehran has argued that its enrichment program is only intended to produce fuel for peaceful nuclear reactors.
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According to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) mandate, Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium must not exceed 300 kilograms (kg) of UF6 containing 3.67% of the isotope uranium-235 (u-235) “or the equivalent in other chemical forms”.
But the IAEA, according to a report by the IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, assessed that Tehran’s stockpile of enriched uranium remains in the country.
The IAEA claimed that this stockpile included 184.1 kg of UF6 containing up to 20% u-235 and 440.9 kg of UF6 containing up to 60% u-235.
According to US assessments, Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in late 2003. The aim of the program was to develop an implosion-style nuclear weapon for Iran’s Shahab-3 ballistic missile, according to US officials and the IAEA.
The US claimed that prior to the June 2025 strikes on Iran, the number of centrifuges installed in Tehran, the amount and concentration of u-235 in Tehran’s enriched uranium stockpile, and the number of enrichment sites exceeded the limits mandated by the JCPOA.
According to the US Congress, Tehran’s expansion of its enrichment program, which began in 2019, shortened the time needed to produce enough HEU for a nuclear weapon – an action often called a “leak”.
Iran began curtailing its enrichment-related activities and stopped working on heavy water-related projects under the internationally agreed Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). However, after the US withdrew from the agreement in 2018, the country began enriching uranium again.
Israel and the United States attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities in the June 2025 Twelve Day War, halting the nuclear program, but its fate remained unresolved. Tehran has since refused to allow IAEA inspectors to resume inspections.
In October 2025, Iran officially terminated the 2015 JCPOA, declaring that all restrictions on its nuclear program were now void.
What is highly enriched uranium?
Natural uranium consists mainly of two isotopes: U-238 and U-235. The latter is key to the fission reaction necessary for nuclear power and weapons, but is found in low concentrations in raw uranium ore.
The material therefore needs to be enriched to increase the concentration of U-235, which is done using thousands of centrifuges spinning at supersonic speeds to separate the isotopes.
