Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei threatened to target US bases outside the Middle East if they were used to launch attacks against the Islamic Republic, according to statements made to the media.
Rezaei, according to excerpts in Persian obtained by Agence France-Presse (AFP), said: “If US aircraft take off from an American military base, even if it is located in a European country or another distant region, to bomb Iran, we will target those bases as well.”
Rezaei stressed that Tehran would not allow “even a single atom” of enriched nuclear material to leave the country. He also confirmed that Iran and the United States are not currently holding negotiations, warning that his country would target “distant US bases” if it came under further American attacks.
Rezaei explained that Tehran had informed Moscow of its decision to retain the enriched material for domestic use, adding that Iran needs it to design nuclear-powered ships and submarines.
Russia had offered to transfer enriched uranium out of Iran as part of a potential agreement aimed at allaying Washington’s concerns, while stressing that the decision was up to Tehran.
Last May, two Iranian officials said that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had instructed that uranium enriched to a level close to that used in nuclear weapons should not be sent abroad.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) estimated that Iran’s stockpile of uranium enriched to 60 per cent stood at around 440.9 kilograms at the time of the Israeli and US attacks on its nuclear facilities in June 2025. The size of the remaining stockpile since then has not been established.
Washington, Israel and other Western countries accuse Tehran of seeking to acquire a nuclear weapon, a charge Iran denies.
Washington insists that the nuclear issue be included in any initial negotiations to end the war.
Last week, a senior Iranian official said that Tehran had conveyed a proposal concerning its nuclear programme to Washington through Qatar, making its discussion conditional on the fulfilment of seven Iranian demands.
