Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a powerful figure in Iran's ruling elite, had ordered that highly enriched uranium should not be exported outside the country.

Reuters reported that two senior Iranian officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a powerful figure in Iran's ruling elite, had ordered that highly enriched uranium should not be exported outside the country.

 The order has strengthened Tehran's position on a key U.S. demand in peace talks. The United States has demanded that Iran hand over or destroy its stockpile of enriched uranium close to weapons-grade levels as a sign of its willingness to de-escalate tensions.

Analysts say Khamenei's decision could discourage US President Donald Trump from holding difficult talks aimed at ending the escalating tensions between the US, Israel and Iran, which have been stymied for some time due to distrust between all sides.

Israeli officials told Reuters that Donald Trump had promised that Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium would be removed from Iran before a peace deal is signed. Israel has long demanded that the issue be at the forefront of negotiations, seeing such uranium as a major threat to regional security.

So far, there has been no official statement from the Iranian government confirming or denying the news. State media has not commented on the alleged order. Hiding the order could be part of Iran's strategy to see how the US and Israel react before announcing its decision.

The move comes at a time of heightened tension in the Middle East. The Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah is also at war with Israel, and direct talks between Washington and Tehran have been stalled by recent attacks.

 If Mojtaba Khamenei's order is true, it would indicate that Iran has decided to continue to strengthen its position in the negotiations, even though it could increase the difficulties in its relations with the West. Those who closely follow the events in the region believe that the next step will determine whether there is hope for peace, or if the conflict will increase.