TEHRAN, Iran

Ali Shamkhani, a senior political adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, said Tuesday that there is “no reason” to transfer enriched uranium outside the country, as Tehran prepares to resume nuclear negotiations with Washington in Istanbul on Friday.

One of the key sticking points is Iran’s stockpile of roughly 400 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity, according to the UN nuclear agency. US officials have insisted that the material should be removed from Iran.

Shamkhani said Iran is capable of reducing enrichment to 20 percent, noting that this eliminates the need to transfer the material abroad.

However, he stressed that any such step must be “met with reciprocal concessions and compensation.”

On Monday, Ali Bagheri-Kani, deputy head of Iran’s top security body, dismissed reports that the enriched uranium would be moved outside the country.

He said an agreement with the United States can be achieved through dialogue and negotiation, provided the “atmosphere of threats” is abandoned.

A senior member of the recently established National Defense Council, formed after the 12-day war with Israel, Shamkhani argued that the production or possession of nuclear weapons is forbidden under Iran’s defense doctrine.

He said that during previous rounds of talks, stalled following the 12-day war in June last year, Iran made clear that it neither seeks nuclear weapons nor is moving toward producing or stockpiling them, echoing statements by other senior Iranian officials.

Regarding the accumulation of uranium enriched to 60 percent, Shamkhani said the material “was not produced for military purposes,” stressing that Iran’s nuclear program “is peaceful and its capabilities are indigenous.”

He said that Iran is currently in what he described as “a real state of war” and is “fully prepared for any scenario,” while stressing that military preparedness does not mean accepting war or pushing the country toward conflict.

Practical talks

Shamkhani said proposals have been conveyed to Tehran.

If these proposals “are free of threats and arrogance and include reasonable conditions, there is hope of preventing a catastrophe,” he added.

The former head of Iran’s top security body added that negotiations remain at a nascent stage, but said he believes military confrontation can still be avoided.

Referring to the planned talks with the US, Shamkhani said Tehran has expressed readiness for practical talks exclusively with Washington, not with any other party.

Europe has demonstrated its “inability to take effective action,” he added.

The Iranian adviser said several countries in the region have stated they will not allow their territory to be used for attacks on Iran, adding that Tehran possesses intelligence on the locations from which threats against Iran originated last June.

Shamkhani stressed that Israel and the United States should not be viewed as separate entities, warning that if the US launches an attack, Israel would also be involved and Iran would “respond proportionately.”

Any attack on Iran, however limited, would escalate into a “very large crisis” for the region, he warned.

US President Donald Trump has threatened military action against Iran amid rising tensions between the two countries following anti-government protests across Iran in late December. Iranian officials have warned that any US attack would draw a “swift and comprehensive” response.