Iran's security chief Mohsen Rezaei told Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir in Tehran on Tuesday that Tehran will not allow any of its enriched nuclear material to leave the country, according to Iranian state TV, Agence France-Presse reported. 'Not even a tiny bit of enriched nuclear material will leave Iran. Such materials constitute a major asset and national wealth for the Iranian people, intended for use within the country,' said Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council. 'There will be no negotiations until America takes steps to build trust — a process that must begin with the fulfilment of Iran's conditions,' he added. Press TV, citing the same meeting, quoted Rezaei as saying: 'All enriched nuclear material will remain in Iran, and not a single particle will leave the country.'

Iran's chief negotiator and parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf conveyed a similar message to Munir, Reuters reported via the Algemeiner: Washington could not regain Tehran's trust until it fulfilled seven conditions Iran set last month for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The demands include ending a US blockade on its ports, lifting sanctions on its oil exports and ending hostilities on all regional fronts, according to the Iranian readout of the meeting reported by Reuters. President Masoud Pezeshkian also discussed mediation efforts and regional developments with Munir in Tehran, according to Nournews via Reuters.

Munir is in Tehran as part of a renewed push to mediate a peace deal between Iran and the United States, AFP reported. Pakistan is a key intermediary between the two: earlier mediation helped produce an interim peace agreement in June, but that Islamabad Memorandum quickly unravelled as fighting resumed weeks later, Reuters reported. For his part, Munir said the border issue between Iran and Pakistan has been resolved and that crossings reopened as of Tuesday morning, Press TV reported — a statement attributed to Munir, reported as his claim.

The hardening stance casts doubt on an immediate breakthrough, a day after reports that Qatar and Pakistan had put forward a compromise proposal said to take account of both sides' demands. US Vice President JD Vance said earlier this month that Iran must make a 'meaningful' reduction in its uranium enrichment capacity to satisfy US demands and end the countries' eight-month-old war, Reuters reported via the Algemeiner. Awaaz Punjab notes that Rezaei's remarks are Tehran's stated position, reported from Iranian state media and readouts; Washington has not issued a response to the Tuesday meetings in the reports cited here.

Sources: Agence France-Presse (Iranian state TV readout, 20 October 2026); Reuters via the Algemeiner, 'Iran Tells Pakistan Army Chief No Talks With Washington Until Demands Are Met', 20 October 2026; Press TV (IRNA photo and meeting readout, 20 October 2026).