Uranium Dispute: Iran Keeps 440.9 Kilograms Domestic
Security chief Mohsen Rezaei stated Tehran will not transfer enriched material to the US or Russia, leaving a core conflict unresolved in the ninth month of the war.
By Ella Cox ·
Iran will keep all of its enriched uranium on domestic soil.
Mohsen Rezaei, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, made this declaration on November 11. He told Lebanon’s Al Mayadeen television that Tehran “will not remove a single atom of enriched nuclear material.” This stance addresses a central point of contention as the war against Iran enters its ninth month. Major fighting has largely halted, but no lasting settlement exists.
The International Atomic Energy Agency previously estimated Iran held 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent. That measurement predates the US and Israeli attacks on three major nuclear sites in June 2025. Inspectors have not determined how much of that stockpile survived the strikes or where it is currently stored. Further air strikes hit nuclear facilities after a new conflict began on February 28. That conflict remains unresolved.
Rezaei said Moscow had been informed of Iran’s position. Russia has frequently been cited as a possible recipient for the uranium. The council secretary became officeholder in August and represents Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. He met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin last week. These remarks followed reports of a potential meeting with US Vice President JD Vance to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
In the same interview, Rezaei denied that Tehran and Washington were holding talks. He called accounts of a recent meeting in Qatar “pure lies.” He suggested the rumors aimed to lower global oil prices. World prices have climbed amid the instability in the Middle East caused by the war. The two nations remain in a standoff without a return to full-scale combat or substantial movement toward peace. Unresolved issues include the American naval blockade of Iranian ports and interruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
US President Donald Trump described the war as “effectively over” in military terms on November 9. His comments suggested the White House was moving away from recent warnings that air strikes could resume. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that economic and military pressure would likely remain in place. Speaking after a November 10 meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Paris, Rubio said the economic campaign made major combat operations unnecessary. Iran continues to condition the reopening of the strait on substantial concessions. Its demands include sanctions relief, access to frozen funds, removal of the naval blockade, and an end to hostilities throughout the region, particularly in Lebanon.
