Iran's Supreme National Security Council secretary, Mohsen Rezaei, told the Lebanese network Al-Mayadeen that the Russians were informed that the enriched material will remain in Iran and will be used by the country itself, in a direct response to the Russian offer to take the stockpile.

According to Rezaei, Iran needs the material to design nuclear-powered ships and submarines. Tehran communicated the position to Russian officials following repeated signals from Moscow of readiness to receive Iran's enriched uranium stockpiles, according to IranWire. Rezaei had already made the same statement to Pakistan's army chief, Asim Munir, in Tehran, saying that not even a particle of enriched uranium will leave Iran, according to IRNA.