Iranʼs Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has ordered the country not to export its stockpile of uranium enriched to levels close to the level needed for nuclear weapons, a move that could complicate peace talks with the United States.
This was reported to Reuters by two senior Iranian sources.
The Iranian leadership believes that transferring uranium abroad will make the country more vulnerable to future attacks by the United States and Israel, the agencyʼs sources say.
Israeli officials previously told Reuters that the US President Donald Trump had allegedly assured Israel that any peace deal must include removing Iranʼs stockpiles of highly enriched uranium, which could be used to create nuclear weapons.
Israel, the United States and other Western countries have long accused Iran of seeking to build nuclear weapons. They point to Iranʼs decision to enrich uranium to 60%, a level far above civilian needs and approaching the 90% needed for weapons. Iran denies seeking to build nuclear weapons.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that he will not consider the war over until Iran gets rid of its enriched uranium stockpiles, stops supporting allied groups, and dismantles its ballistic missile program.
War in the Middle East and negotiations between Iran and the US
On the morning of February 28, the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran. These attacks killed Iranʼs Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and almost the entire military leadership of the country — about 40 key high-ranking officials.
Iran, in response to the US and Israeli attacks, began shelling Arab countries where US bases are located, and Israel. The war also halted tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow sea corridor between Iran and Oman that connects the Persian Gulf with the Indian Ocean. It was through it that almost a fifth of the worldʼs oil exports passed — tens of millions of barrels per day.
On April 8, the parties agreed to a two-week ceasefire. On April 13, the United States began a naval blockade of Iranian ports, demanding the complete unblocking of the Strait of Hormuz for all ships.
On April 17, Lebanon and Israel agreed to a ceasefire, after which Iran unblocked the Strait of Hormuz. However, on April 18, Iran reported that it was again blocking the Strait of Hormuz due to the US naval blockade. On the same day, Iran fired on several ships attempting to pass through the strait.
On April 21, Trump tweeted that he had extended the ceasefire with Iran until the Iranians submitted their proposals and concluded discussions. And on May 1, Axios reported, citing a letter from Trump to House Speaker Mike Johnson, that Trump considered the war over.
Despite this, on May 8, Iran accused the US of violating the ceasefire by attacking two ships in the Strait of Hormuz and striking civilian areas. But there is no talk of a breakdown yet.
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