Mohsen Rezaei, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, told visiting Pakistani defence chief Asim Munir on July 10 that Tehran would not allow any enriched uranium to leave its borders.
The decision follows weeks of stalled talks at the UN General Assembly, where Washington and Tehran exchanged blows over Iran’s 60‑percent enriched core—nearly a bomb’s threshold.
Pakistan, acting as an intermediary, had suggested the transfer as a confidence‑building move, hoping it would lead to a broader ceasefire across the Middle East.
Both President Masoud Pezeshkian and parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf echoed Rezaei’s stance, insisting that any dialogue must begin with the removal of sanctions and threats.
The Iranian government now demands a full lifting of sanctions, the unfreezing of assets, and a ceasefire before any nuclear negotiations resume, setting a deadline of September 15 for Washington to act.