Iran bars uranium export, stalling U.S.-mediated nuclear talks

Iran's supreme leader has ordered that the country's stockpile of highly enriched uranium must not be sent abroad, The Korea Times reported Wednesday, a directive that removes what U.S. and Israeli officials have described as a prerequisite for any lasting nuclear peace agreement.

The directive hardens Tehran's negotiating position under a ceasefire in place since Feb. 28, 2026, following U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, and raises the prospect that Pakistan-mediated peace talks could collapse before a formal agreement is reached.

"The Supreme Leader's directive, and the consensus within the establishment, is that the stockpile of enriched uranium should not leave the country," a senior Iranian official told Reuters, according to The Korea Times. Iranian officials cited vulnerability to future military strikes as the reason for refusing to export the material.

Iran has enriched uranium to 60 percent purity — well above the roughly 20 percent required for civilian nuclear power, though below the 90 percent threshold for weapons-grade material, The Korea Times reported, citing the International Atomic Energy Agency. The IAEA estimated Iran held 440.9 kilograms of 60-percent-enriched uranium when U.S. and Israeli forces struck its nuclear facilities in June 2025. As of March 2026, more than 200 kilograms are believed to remain in a tunnel complex at the Isfahan nuclear facility, according to the IAEA.

Iran's top peace negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, framed the hard line as a response to distrust of Washington. "Obvious and hidden moves by the enemy showed the Americans were preparing new attacks," Qalibaf said, The Korea Times reported. Iranian officials suspect the current ceasefire is a tactical maneuver by Washington ahead of renewed airstrikes.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated publicly that any peace agreement must include uranium removal, an end to proxy militia support and the elimination of Iran's missile capabilities. Israeli officials told Reuters that President Donald Trump had separately assured Israel that uranium removal would be part of any deal, according to The Korea Times.

Iranian officials have proposed an alternative to export: diluting the stockpile under international oversight. "There are solutions like diluting the stockpile under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency," a senior Iranian official told Reuters, The Korea Times reported. Before Trump threatened military action, Iran had signaled willingness to export half its uranium stockpile — a position it reversed after those threats. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons despite Western accusations.

The negotiations are being mediated by Pakistan, The Korea Times reported. No new round of talks had been announced as of Wednesday's report. The IAEA has previously noted that some of the enriched uranium is stored in a tunnel complex at both Isfahan and Natanz nuclear facilities.