Tehran – Iran: Two senior Iranian sources reported that the Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has issued directives ruling against sending the country’s stockpile of enriched uranium, which is close to weapons-grade level, outside of Iran, in a move that reflects Tehran’s intransigence in dealing with one of the most prominent American conditions within the ongoing peace negotiations.
These developments come at a time when political communications between Washington and Tehran are undergoing a sensitive phase, coinciding with international efforts to reach an agreement that ends the American-Israeli war on Iran and prevents the expansion of the escalation scope in the region.
Iranian Intransigence in the Nuclear File to Maintain Bargaining Chips
According to the sources, the Iranian decision aims to preserve bargaining chips inside the country and to reject any commitments that might be interpreted as a strategic concession regarding the nuclear program.
The demand to transfer enriched uranium outside of Iran is one of the most prominent clauses that the United States is pressing to include in any potential agreement, considering it a necessary step to ensure limiting Tehran’s capability to develop a nuclear weapon in the future. Iran, in return, emphasizes that its nuclear program is designated for peaceful purposes, and that retaining the enriched stockpile is a sovereign right that cannot be easily conceded.
American Anxiety, Anticipation of Negotiations, and Fears of Political Settlement Stalling
These directives are expected to arouse the resentment of US President Donald Trump, who had recently announced that negotiations with Iran have entered their “final stages,” amid American pressures to reach a swift agreement. Observers believe that the new Iranian stance may further complicate the talks, especially with ongoing disagreements over international oversight mechanisms and the lifting of American sanctions imposed on Tehran.
Regional and international parties are monitoring the developments of the negotiations with caution, fearing the collapse of political efforts and a return to the stage of direct military escalation in the region. The current developments also raise concerns regarding the future of maritime security and energy in the Middle East, in light of continuing tensions linked to the Iranian nuclear program and Western sanctions imposed on Tehran.
