Khamenei orders Iran uranium not be sent abroad - Reuters

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has ordered that the country’s near-weapons-grade uranium not be sent abroad, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing two senior Iranian sources.

“The Supreme Leader’s directive, and the consensus within the establishment, is that the stockpile of enriched uranium should not leave the country,” one of the sources told Reuters.

The sources said Iranian officials believed sending the material abroad would make the country more vulnerable to future US or Israeli attacks.

Iran had previously signaled willingness to ship out half of its 60% enriched uranium stockpile, but that position changed after repeated threats by US President Donald Trump to strike Iran, according to the report.

One source said there were still “feasible formulas” to resolve the issue, including diluting the stockpile under International Atomic Energy Agency supervision.