Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has ordered that the country’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium must not be moved abroad, Reuters reported, citing two senior sources in the Islamic Republic.

According to the agency’s sources, both Khamenei’s directive and the broader consensus within Iran’s leadership are that enriched uranium reserves should remain inside the country.

Tehran believes transferring the material overseas could weaken its negotiating position and make Iran more vulnerable to possible future strikes by the United States and Israel, the sources said.

The decision marks a tougher Iranian stance on one of Washington’s central demands in the peace talks.

Iranian officials cited by Reuters also said the country’s top leadership has serious suspicions that the pause in hostilities may have been a tactical move by the United States, intended to create a false sense of security before renewed airstrikes.

In recent days, U. S. President Donald Trump has increasingly spoken about the possibility of resuming military operations against Iran.