Iran’s Foreign Ministry has stated that enriched uranium stockpiled at 60% purity will not be transferred outside the country “in any way,” according to Asharq News — a declaration that lands as a direct and public contradiction of one of the United States’ most explicitly stated red lines in the nuclear negotiations, and comes within minutes of Trump announcing that “most of the points are already negotiated.”
The juxtaposition is jarring. Trump told the world the deal is nearly done. Iran’s Foreign Ministry has just told the world that the single hardest issue in the entire negotiation — the fate of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile — has not moved an inch from Tehran’s position.
Why 60% Enriched Uranium Is the Central Issue
Uranium enriched to 60% purity sits just below weapons-grade, which begins at approximately 90%. The IAEA had reported before the war that Iran possessed an unprecedented stockpile of highly enriched uranium without credible civilian justification — material that gave Iran the capability to produce enough fissile material for multiple nuclear weapons on short notice if it chose to enrich to 90%.
Trump’s position on this has been stated repeatedly and with complete clarity. At the April 8 press conference announcing the ceasefire, he said there would be “no enrichment of uranium” and that the United States would, working with Iran, “dig up and remove all of the deeply buried nuclear dust.” Vice President Vance reinforced this in his Fox News interview after the Islamabad talks collapsed, stating that the nuclear dust needs to be removed from Iran “preferably by the US” and that a mechanism to ensure Iran cannot develop nuclear weapons must be in place — not just an Iranian promise.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry statement on Friday evening is a categorical rejection of that demand. Not a negotiating position. Not a counter-proposal. A categorical statement that the 60% enriched uranium will not leave Iranian territory in any way.
What “In Any Way” Actually Means
The specific phrase “in any way” is diplomatically significant and deliberately absolute. It is not saying Iran will not transfer the uranium under current conditions. It is not saying Iran needs better terms to consider a transfer. It is saying the transfer will not happen under any circumstances — period.
This language forecloses the creative compromise solutions that negotiators on both sides have reportedly been exploring, including proposals under which the enriched uranium would be transferred to a third country such as Russia or China for storage or processing, or placed under international IAEA custody within Iran. All of those options involve the material leaving Iranian sovereign control in some form. Iran’s Foreign Ministry has just said none of those options are acceptable.
The Collision With Trump’s Statement
Trump posted, within the same evening, that “most of the points are already negotiated” and that the process “should go very quickly.” Iran’s Foreign Ministry has now posted that its 60% enriched uranium is going nowhere under any circumstances.
These two statements cannot both be accurate simultaneously. Either Trump’s characterisation of “most points negotiated” does not include the uranium issue — which would mean the hardest issue is entirely unresolved — or Trump’s optimism about the state of negotiations is not matched by Iran’s public posture, which is the more concerning interpretation.
The Islamabad talks collapsed on April 12 on exactly this issue. Vance told reporters after leaving Pakistan that the US made its red lines clear and Iran had not chosen to accept their terms. The uranium question was the primary red line. Iran’s Foreign Ministry statement on Friday evening suggests that position has not changed despite the Hormuz opening, the ceasefire extension signals, and whatever back-channel progress Pakistani mediators have been describing.
What This Means for the Deal Timeline
Trump said this process should go very quickly. Iran has just demonstrated that the most fundamental obstacle to a deal — the nuclear question — remains exactly where it was when the Islamabad talks ended in failure five days ago.
The ceasefire expires April 21-22. Pakistan’s Asim Munir is in Tehran tonight for a second meeting with Araghchi on Saturday. The diplomatic window is four to five days wide. And Iran has just used that window to publicly restate its most absolute position on the issue that has blocked every attempt at agreement since the war began.
The Strait is open. The blockade stays. Markets are rallying. And Iran just reminded everyone that the nuclear question — the one that has divided these two countries for two decades — is not going to be resolved by a goodwill gesture on the Hormuz or a Trump social media post.
The oil crash may need to reconsider some of its assumptions by Monday morning.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Geopolitical situations are subject to rapid change. Readers are advised to follow official government communications for the most current verified information on this developing situation.