Supreme leader says enriched uranium must stay in Iran

-- Iran outlines new Strait of Hormuz management zone, says transit requires authorisation

TEHRAN: Iran's Supreme Leader has issued a directive that the country's near-weapons-grade uranium should not be sent abroad, two senior Iranian sources said, hardening Tehran's stance on one of the ​main US demands at peace talks.

Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei's order could further frustrate US President Donald Trump and complicate talks on ending the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Israeli officials have told Reuters that ‌Trump has assured Israel that Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium, needed to make an atomic weapon, will be sent out of Iran and that any peace deal must include a clause on this.

Israel, the United States and other Western states have long accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, including pointing to its move to enrich uranium to 60%, far higher than needed for civilian uses and closer to the 90% needed for a weapon. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ​has said he will not consider the war over until enriched uranium is removed from Iran, Tehran ends its support for proxy militias, and its ballistic missile capabilities are eliminated.

"The Supreme ​Leader’s directive, and the consensus within the establishment, is that the stockpile of enriched uranium should not leave the country,” said one of the two Iranian ⁠sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

Iran's top officials, the sources said, believe that sending the material abroad would leave the country more vulnerable to future attacks ​by the United States and Israel. Khamenei has the last say on the most important state matters.

Meanwhile, UAE's Diplomatic Adviser to the President Anwar Gargash said that attempts to control the Strait of Hormuz or to "encroach on the UAE's maritime sovereignty" are nothing but "fragments of dreams."

In a post on X, Gargash stated that the UAE had "grown accustomed" to "Iranian bullying" over the decades, adding that credibility had been "lost between aggressive rhetoric and hollow declarations of friendship."

"Whoever wants to coexist with its Arab surroundings must realize that trust is lost, and restoring it is achieved through...responsible language, safeguarding sovereignty, genuine commitment to the principles of good neighbourliness."

Earlier on Thursday, Iran formally defined the section of the Strait of Hormuz that it says will fall under its new management framework for the strategic waterway.

According to the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA), the designated zone stretches from “the line connecting Kuh-e-Mubarak in Iran to the south of Fujairah in the UAE at the eastern entrance of the Strait, to the line connecting the tip of Qeshm Island in Iran to Umm Al-Quwain in the UAE at the western entrance”.

The authority added in a statement posted on X that any transit through the area for the purpose of passing through the Strait of Hormuz would require “coordination with, and authorisation from, the Persian Gulf Strait Authority.”

Diplomacy alone with respect to Iran’s interests crucial for resolving crisis: Russia

The Iran crisis can only be resolved through diplomacy which takes Iran’s interests into account, Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Thursday, according to Al Jazeera.

Maria Zakharova said Russia is determined to provide assistance to Iran and the US in implementing any decisions that may be reached through negotiations, adding that Iran alone must decide the fate of its uranium stockpiles.