Iran rejects withdrawing enriched uranium stockpile from the country

The supreme leader of Iran, determined this Thursday (May 21, 2026) that the country’s stockpile of oil should not be sent abroad. The information is from Reuters.

The withdrawal of enriched uranium is one of the main points of the Iranian nuclear program. The US government argues that the material be sent to another country to limit Tehran’s nuclear capacity.

The President of the United States, Donald Trump (Republican Party), also stated this Thursday (May 21) that the USA will be highly enriched from Iran and that the material “probably” will be destroyed later.

In an interview with journalists, Trump said he will not allow Tehran to keep substances that could be used in nuclear weapons. The Republican also declared that the US does not need the Iranian material and that the objective is to prevent any advancement of the Persian country’s nuclear program.

Iran has uranium enriched to 60%, according to estimates cited by Poder360. Experts say that the country would need a few weeks to reach the 90% level, considered sufficient for the production of nuclear warheads. The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty establishes a 20% limit for civilian activities.

According to sources heard by Reutersmembers of the Iranian government and Armed Forces For Tehran, giving up the material would reduce its negotiating power vis-à-vis the West.

Israeli officials told the agency that Trump had assured Israel that any deal would include the withdrawal of Iranian nuclear material. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that he does not consider the conflict to be over as long as the stockpile of enriched uranium remains in Iran.

Netanyahu also declared that Tehran continues to invest in ballistic missile programs and supports allied armed groups in the Middle East, such as Hezbollah and Houthis.

Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons and maintains that its nuclear program is for civilian purposes, such as power generation and medical use.