President Trump declared Thursday that the United States will eventually recover Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium, telling reporters at the White House: “We will get it. We don't need it, we don't want it. We'll probably destroy it after we get it, but we're not going to let them have it.”
Hours earlier, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei issued a directive that the country's near-weapons-grade uranium stockpile must not be sent abroad, two senior Iranian sources told Reuters. The directive directly contradicts the transfer-to-Russia element of Iran's revised peace proposal delivered earlier this month via Pakistan, and marks a clear hardening of the Iranian position at a moment when the negotiating track appeared to be producing modest convergence.
Iran's roughly 450 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60% purity is the central unresolved issue in the Pakistan-mediated talks. The U.S. and Israel believe the material is destined for a nuclear weapon, while Tehran maintains it is intended solely for peaceful purposes. At 60% enrichment, the material is well above civilian-reactor levels but below the ~90% threshold typically used in weapons. With further processing, the stockpile could potentially yield material for over ten nuclear weapons.
The U.S. has been insisting on either American custody or transfer to an unspecified third country. Iran's revised proposal earlier this month offered transfer to Russia — a significant softening from its prior public position that the uranium would not be transferred anywhere — but Washington rejected the Russia destination. The Supreme Leader's directive Thursday reverses even that softening, returning Iran to a no-transfer baseline.
Despite the standoff, both sides indicated some narrowing of gaps. Iran's semi-official ISNA news agency reported Thursday that Tehran is in the process of responding to the latest U.S. text, which “has narrowed the gaps to some extent.” Bloomberg reported Iran said the latest U.S. proposal “partly bridged the gap between the warring sides.” But the uranium dispute remained the principal obstacle.
Israeli officials have told Reuters that Trump has assured Israel that Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium will be sent out of Iran and ultimately destroyed. The Pentagon has prepared a range of military plans for Iran in case Trump decides to resume attacks, CNN reported earlier this week. The dual posture — diplomatic engagement combined with publicly visible military readiness — gives Washington negotiating leverage while constraining Iranian options.
Oil markets reacted modestly. WTI climbed toward $98 a barrel Thursday after a three-day slide; Brent closed above $102. The rebound reflected the hardening of Iranian rhetoric on uranium and a separate dispute over Hormuz tolls. AAA's national gasoline average set a new 2026 high of $4.564 Thursday ahead of Memorial Day weekend — the highest level in four years.
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