US Warns Iran of Strike Unless It Hands Over Uranium

Washington has told senior Iranian officials that a US military strike will go ahead unless Tehran meets a tougher set of American demands. The Israeli outlet reported the warning citing diplomatic sources. The window for a deal that would head off another war between Iran and both the United States and Israel is closing.

The American terms have hardened. Iran must take its highly enriched uranium out of the country and transfer it to the United States. It must end all attacks and military operations across the region, including in the Strait of Hormuz, and it must open that waterway.

The United States intends to carry out the strike. Tehran can avoid it by meeting those intensified demands.

The warning comes alongside an American military buildup. As JFeed reported on October 28, the US military is moving a Patriot air-defense battery from Texas to the Middle East and pulling troops out of bases exposed to Iranian fire.

Diplomacy has stalled. On October 28, a senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran had rejected proposals delivered by Qatari mediators. "The only thing we received is a list of unacceptable ideas," the official said. "We will not compromise on the nuclear issue."

Trump with Vice President Vance in the White House Situation Room (Photo: The White House)

Uranium has been at the core of Washington's position for weeks. In early October, US Vice President JD Vance said the United States would not end its seven-month war with Iran without a concrete cut to Tehran's enrichment capacity. "If you don't want a nuclear weapon, then why do you need 60% enriched fuel?" he asked. "We're not going to trade words for actions."

The latest demand goes further than the reduction Vance described. It calls for Iran's highly enriched stockpile to be physically handed over to the United States.