21/05/2026
Share:
21/05/2026
Share:
TEHRAN, May 21: Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has ordered that the country’s near-weapons-grade uranium stockpile not be sent abroad, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing two senior Iranian sources.
According to the report, the directive reflects a broader consensus within Iran’s leadership that retaining enriched uranium domestically is critical to national security. Officials reportedly fear that transferring the material overseas could expose the country to potential US or Israeli strikes.
“The Supreme Leader’s directive… is that the stockpile of enriched uranium should not leave the country,” one source told Reuters.
Iran had previously indicated a willingness to export part of its 60% enriched uranium, but that position shifted following renewed threats of military action, the report said. Sources noted that alternative solutions remain under discussion, including diluting the stockpile under International Atomic Energy Agency supervision.
Earlier, Russia said on Thursday that the future of Iran’s uranium reserves should be determined solely by Tehran, stressing that any diplomatic efforts must take Iran’s interests into account.
In a separate development, Fox News reported that Khamenei has adopted an increasingly low public profile, citing a counterterrorism analyst who compared the approach to that of former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
The analyst said heightened US pressure has forced Iran’s leadership into “operational invisibility,” limiting public appearances and direct communication.
The report suggests that the strategy reflects security concerns amid rising regional tensions, although Iranian authorities have not publicly commented on the characterization.