Iran rejects uranium transfer as Asim Munir seeks US talks

Iran has rejected transferring any enriched uranium out of the country and said negotiations with Washington cannot resume until the United States meets its conditions, India Today reported. The position was conveyed as Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, visited Tehran for mediation efforts on October 20.

Mohsen Rezaei, identified in the report as secretary of Iran's National Security Council, stated the position in a post on X and reiterated it in a separate meeting with Munir. He said Washington must first take steps to rebuild trust, beginning with fulfilment of Tehran's demands.

Munir also met President Masoud Pezeshkian and parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf. Iranian outlet Nournews reported that Pezeshkian's discussions with the Pakistani military chief covered regional developments and mediation.

Tehran links dialogue to its earlier demands

According to an Iranian readout of his meeting with Munir, Qalibaf said the United States must fulfil seven conditions Tehran set in September for reopening the Strait of Hormuz before it could regain Iranian trust.

The reported demands include ending the US blockade of Iranian ports, removing sanctions on Iranian oil exports and halting hostilities across regional fronts. The account does not enumerate all seven conditions.

Rezaei also reaffirmed what the report described as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei's opposition to sending near-weapons-grade uranium outside Iran.

Enrichment capacity remains a separate obstacle

The disagreement extends beyond where Iran's enriched uranium is held. US Vice President JD Vance said earlier in October that Iran would have to substantially reduce its uranium enrichment capacity to satisfy Washington's demands and bring an end to what the report described as an eight-month war.

The United States, Israel and other Western countries have accused Tehran of pursuing nuclear weapons, pointing to its enrichment of uranium to 60%. That concentration is well above levels typically used in civilian nuclear applications, though below the roughly 90% associated with weapons-grade uranium.

Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons. The enrichment figure and the Western accusations should not be read as proof that Tehran has decided to build a weapon.

A previous mediation effort failed to hold

Pakistan's earlier mediation helped secure an interim peace arrangement in June, known as the Islamabad Memorandum, according to the report. That arrangement broke down when fighting between Iran and the United States resumed weeks later.

Munir's latest meetings form part of another attempt to narrow the differences. Tehran's stated position leaves two distinct issues unresolved: Washington's demand for reduced enrichment capacity and Iran's insistence that its uranium remain at home, alongside conditions it wants met before negotiations restart.