Iran on Wednesday ruled out transferring its highly enriched nuclear material out of the country as part of any peace agreement with the U.S., as diplomacy between the two countries faltered.
Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, told Lebanese outlet Al Mayadeen TV that his country would not “remove a single atom of enriched nuclear material” and that Russia is aware of Tehran’s position.
Mr. Rezaei, a close confidante of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week.
People were interested in these podcasts
The status of Iran’s stockpiles of highly enriched uranium is a sticking point for the Trump administration, which launched a war against Tehran in February with the explicit goal of curbing Iran’s nuclear production.
While Iran has refused to limit its enrichment capacity, Russia has agreed to take control of some highly enriched uranium if it would end the war and create a safer Middle East.
Contact the author
Please read our comment policy before commenting.