No uranium will leave Iran: Tehran tells Asim Munir amid US talks deadlock

Iran has ruled out shipping any of its enriched uranium abroad and said it will not negotiate with the United States until Washington meets its demands, delivering a firm message amid Pakistan's efforts to revive dialogue between the two countries."Not a single gram of enriched uranium will be removed from Iran. There will be no negotiations until the United States takes steps to build trust. That process must begin with the full fulfillment of all Iran’s conditions," Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's National Security Council, said in a post on X. Mohsen Rezaee on X Rezaei reiterated Tehran's position during a separate meeting with Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, who is visiting Iran as part of mediation efforts.Iranian media reported on Tuesday that President Masoud Pezeshkian discussed regional developments and mediation efforts with Munir in Tehran, according to Nournews. Munir also met Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian meets with chief of Defence Forces of Pakistan, Field Marshal Asim Munir, in Tehran, Iran, October 20, 2026. (Photo - Reuters) IRAN SETS CONDITIONS FOR US TALKSQalibaf said Washington could not regain Tehran's trust until it fulfilled seven conditions Iran had set last month for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, according to an Iranian readout of the meeting.The demands include ending the US blockade on Iranian ports, lifting sanctions on Iran's oil exports and stopping hostilities on all regional fronts. Rezaei also reiterated Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei's position that near-weapons-grade uranium should not be shipped outside Iran.NUCLEAR ENRICHMENT REMAINS A KEY STICKING POINTThe dispute over Iran's nuclear programme remains a major obstacle to any potential agreement with Washington.US Vice President JD Vance said earlier this month that Iran must make a "meaningful" reduction in its uranium enrichment capacity to meet US demands and end the countries' eight-month-old war.The United States, Israel and other Western countries have long accused Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons, citing its enrichment of uranium to 60 per cent, a level significantly higher than typically needed for civilian nuclear applications and closer to the roughly 90 per cent associated with weapons-grade uranium.Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons.PAKISTAN'S MEDIATION EFFORTSPakistan has emerged as a key intermediary between Washington and Tehran. Earlier mediation efforts helped produce an interim peace agreement in June, but the Islamabad Memorandum quickly unravelled as fighting between Iran and the United States resumed weeks later.Munir's meetings in Tehran come amid continued efforts to bridge differences between the two sides. However, Iran's insistence that its enriched uranium remain within the country and that Washington meet its demands before talks resume underscores the challenges facing a renewed diplomatic push.- Ends