Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has formally ordered that the country’s enriched uranium stockpile must not leave Iranian soil. The directive, issued on May 21, is a direct rebuff to Washington’s insistence that any final peace deal must address the uranium question.
What Khamenei actually said, and what it means
US President Trump has taken the opposite position, stating that the uranium stockpile “will not” remain in Iran and suggesting it could be destroyed after being transferred out of the country.
Two senior Iranian sources have confirmed a solid internal consensus against exporting uranium, but they’ve indicated Iran would be open to diluting the stockpile under supervision from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Dilution under IAEA oversight would reduce the material’s weapons potential without Iran surrendering physical custody of it.
A ceasefire with no peace in sight
