An official of Iran's Supreme National Security Council told the visiting Pakistani army chief that enriched nuclear material will not be taken out of the country, the Liberty Times reported. A US response has not been confirmed.
What was said
Citing Iranian state TV and AFP, the Liberty Times reported on the 21st that Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, told Pakistani army chief Asim Munir that not even a small amount of enriched nuclear material will leave Iran. Rezaei also reportedly said talks will not begin until the United States takes confidence-building steps, and that negotiations must start from meeting Iran's conditions.
광고 문의 · 300×250Iran's chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, conveyed the same position to Munir. According to the Liberty Times, he said Iran cannot trust the US unless it meets seven conditions, and stressed that threats and military exercises will not change Iran's strategic decisions.
Background: the June memorandum and the ‘no export’ line
The Liberty Times said Munir's trip aims to launch a new round of mediation toward a peace deal between Iran and the US. Demands attributed to Iran include a comprehensive ceasefire across the Middle East, the unfreezing of overseas assets and the lifting of US sanctions on Iranian oil. That list comes from the report, and whether Tehran has set it out in an official document was not confirmed.
The ‘no export’ line is not new. Pakistan's Aaj TV reported on June 18 that Iran's foreign ministry spokesman called the transfer of enriched material abroad unacceptable while the two sides implemented a 14-point memorandum, with dilution inside Iran the only option under discussion. The memorandum was said to open a 60-day window for talks on nuclear issues and sanctions relief.
Trading Economics cited an unconfirmed report that Qatar and Pakistan had proposed reviving negotiations, and a report that President Donald Trump said US forces would not strike Iran before the November 3 midterms. Neither can be treated as established. It also said Iran's Revolutionary Guard claimed to have struck two ‘non-compliant’ tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, showing diplomacy and maritime tension moving in parallel.
No official US reaction has been confirmed, and the outcome of Munir's mediation is unknown. How details such as dilution methods and the scope of inspections are reconciled will be key to any talks.