Iran refuses to surrender enriched uranium, threatens to strike US bases in Europe if attacked

Iran has no intention of surrendering its enriched nuclear material, which it wants to use to build nuclear-powered submarines, security chief Mohsen Rezaei said on Wednesday, in an apparent rejection of US demands to give up the material for a political settlement. In an interview with Al Mayadeen TV network, Rezaei said Iran will not allow a “single speck” of enriched uranium to leave the country. "We need the enriched material to design ships and submarines that work on nuclear energy," Rezaei said, adding that Tehran has informed Moscow that its enriched nuclear material will remain in the country and "we will use it ourselves". Rezaei’s remarks come a day after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Iran’s terms for a political settlement “absurd” and stressed that the Trump administration believes its maritime blockade against Iran gives them the upper hand in negotiations. Rezaei, who has become more prominent in the media in recent months for explaining Iran’s terms, struck a defiant tone in his interview. Read more: Iran refuses to surrender enriched uranium, threatens to strike US bases in Europe if attacked Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Mohsen Rezaei attends consultations with members of the Mecca Joint Defence in Tehran, Iran, on 26 October 2026 (Iranian Presidency via Zuma Press)