Iran Rejects Moving 60% Enriched Uranium to Third Country

Iran has ruled out sending its 60% enriched uranium to a third country. The Foreign Ministry spokesperson was asked whether such a transfer had come up in the Doha talks or whether Tehran could accept it, and gave a one-word reply: "No."

The question goes to one of the central American demands. On October 28, Israel's N12 reported that Washington had told Tehran it could avoid a US strike only by moving its highly enriched uranium out of the country and handing it to the United States. The same terms required Iran to end attacks across the region and to open the Strait of Hormuz.

The 60% stockpile has been a recurring point of dispute. On October 7, US Vice President JD Vance told Reuters that Washington would not end the war without a concrete cut to Iran's enrichment capacity. "If you don't want a nuclear weapon, then why do you need 60% enriched fuel?" Vance said.

The Doha channel runs through Qatari mediators. On November 1, Iranian negotiators met them in the Qatari capital for a third straight day. That round had opened two days earlier in Tehran, where a Qatari delegation held more than 12 hours of discussions with Iranian officials.

On November 2, Iran dispatched Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi to Doha to advance its indirect exchanges with Washington. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the visit was not intended to include direct negotiations with American officials. "Consultations with the mediators regarding the two-day plan are continuing and moving toward implementation, but we have not yet reached a definitive conclusion," Araghchi said.