Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has reportedly ordered that Iran’s stockpile of near-weapons-grade uranium remain inside the country, rejecting any proposal to transfer the material abroad as part of a possible agreement aimed at ending the war with the United States and Israel.

According to senior Iranian sources cited by Reuters, Khamenei issued the directive amid ongoing indirect diplomatic efforts and mounting international pressure over Tehran’s nuclear program.

Iran is currently believed to possess more than 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium — a quantity Israeli officials have warned is sufficient for approximately 11 nuclear bombs if enriched further to weapons-grade levels.

The reported refusal is likely to deepen concerns in both Jerusalem and Washington, where officials have repeatedly insisted that Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile must be dismantled or removed entirely as part of any future agreement.

Earlier this month, a senior Israeli military official warned that if the uranium remains inside Iran, the military campaign launched in February could ultimately be viewed as “one big failure.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)