Rezaei Rejects Transfer of Enriched Uranium, Warns of Strikes on Distant U.S. Bases
Key Facts
Mohsen Rezaei said Iran would not transfer enriched uranium to another country under any peace deal with the United States, warning that any new U.S. attack would be met with strikes on U.S. bases far from Iran. Tehran informed Moscow of its decision, according to comments by Rezaei, excerpts of which were published on November 11 ahead of the full interview later that day. Rezaei said Iran needs the enriched material to design nuclear-powered ships and submarines. The comments make the transfer of uranium one of the points of contention facing any settlement between Tehran and Washington. Russia had previously offered to remove the uranium from Iran under a potential deal to ease U.S. concerns, while leaving the decision to Tehran.
Rezaei said Tehran had informed Moscow of its position as he met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin during the week before the report. Rezaei is secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, a post to which he was appointed in August, and represents Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on the council. His position on transferring uranium gives direct significance to the Russian offer, which involved removing the material from Iran to ease Washington’s concerns. But the decision, according to the offer reported by Reuters, rests with Tehran. Washington has said the nuclear issue should be part of any initial negotiations aimed at ending the war with Iran.
The latest specific figure in the report dates to an International Atomic Energy Agency estimate before the June 2025 strikes, when it said Iran had 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60%. The agency’s inspectors have been unable to verify how much remained after the strikes or where it was stored. The earlier estimate therefore does not establish the size of the stockpile currently available, while Rezaei’s statement centers on refusing to remove the material from the country. Rezaei links that position to Iran’s need for the material to design nuclear-powered ships and submarines. The stockpile’s fate and location remain unresolved issues in the nuclear confrontation.
The comments come amid what the report described as a fragile confrontation, with Iran and the United States neither returning to full-scale war nor making tangible progress toward lasting peace. Points of contention include Iran’s nuclear program, the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports and disruption to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Al Mayadeen TV quoted Rezaei as saying there were no ongoing talks between Tehran and Washington, denying reports of a recent meeting in Qatar and describing them as "pure lies." On November 10, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the economic campaign against Iran was "so devastating that there is currently no need for major combat operations," after a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Paris. The contrast between Washington’s insistence on including the nuclear issue in negotiations and Rezaei’s denial of direct talks puts the diplomatic obstacle at the heart of the crisis.
The confrontation coincided with military movements and Iranian statements about missile range. On November 7, the Revolutionary Guard announced it had lifted its previous self-imposed limit on ballistic missile range of 2,000 kilometers, or about 1,200 miles. The Associated Press also tracked 13 U.S. aircraft leaving Britain’s RAF Mildenhall base for bases in Scotland, Spain and Germany on November 10, amid a threat the agency said was linked to Iran. A U.S. official said the aircraft transfer was a precautionary measure, not a response, and that some aircraft could return to the base. In oil markets, Brent crude futures fell to $92 a barrel on Monday, November 9, amid optimism that the fighting would end, before Rezaei’s comments were published on November 11.