Khamenei's Advisor: If Attacked, Inspectors Will Be Expelled and Cooperation with the Agency Will Cease

The political advisor to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic stated that if Iran finds itself in a 'military attack situation', it will expel inspectors from the agency and cease cooperation with it, and may transfer enriched uranium to 'secure and unspecified locations'. Ali Shamkhani wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that 'the continuation of external threats and Iran being in a military attack situation could lead to deterrent actions such as the expulsion of agency inspectors and the cessation of cooperation with it.' He continued that 'the transfer of enriched materials to secure and unspecified locations in Iran could also be on the agenda.' The remarks from the Supreme Leader's advisor, who was previously the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, could be a reaction to warnings and threats from the President of the United States, who in recent weeks has urged Iran to negotiate for a new agreement regarding its nuclear program, or else it would face 'bombing'. Mr. Trump claims to want a 'great' Iran but insists it cannot have nuclear weapons. On April 20, he reiterated his threats, stating, 'If military action is needed, we will take that action. Israel will clearly have a serious role in this matter. They will lead the attack.' While Iranian officials, especially Ali Khamenei, have rejected negotiations with the U.S. under conditions of 'threat' and 'pressure', both countries announced that their representatives are set to meet on April 23 in Oman. The U.S. is increasingly concerned about Iran's uranium stockpiles, which, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, contain materials necessary for enrichment at 90% and the construction of several nuclear weapons. Tehran claims it has no plans to build nuclear weapons and that its nuclear program's goals are 'peaceful'. However, Ali Larijani, an advisor to the Supreme Leader, stated on April 11 that if the U.S. or Israel takes military action against Iran, 'the people will push' and the construction of a nuclear bomb would 'gain secondary justification'. Iran has had various 'direct' and 'indirect' negotiations with the United States at different times, resulting in the resolution of several issues, especially regarding its nuclear program. Iran considers its nuclear activities to be of a 'peaceful nature', but the U.S., Israel, and other Western countries are concerned about Tehran crossing the nuclear threshold and building nuclear weapons. While there are hopes for resolving the disputes between the two countries at the Oman meeting, Mr. Trump approached the matter cautiously on Wednesday, stating, 'When you start negotiations, you have to see if they are going well or not. And I say the result will be that I think they are not going well. So this is just a feeling.' Media close to the Revolutionary Guards and conservatives have also expressed concern about the outcomes of the Oman meeting. The Fars news agency, close to the Revolutionary Guards, has warned about the 'failure of negotiations' and expressed concern about managing 'public opinion'. Fars wrote: 'Given the bitter experience of the 1990s, many analysts believe that repeating the policy of keeping the country in limbo for the results of negotiations, in addition to increasing uncertainty in the markets, will weaken public confidence in domestic capabilities to solve economic issues.' The Kayhan newspaper, run by Khamenei's representative, expressed concern about the decline in the dollar price ahead of the Oman negotiations, claiming that this is due to 'market manipulation', which, according to it, 'not only has no economic justification but also lays the groundwork for the profiteering of some brokers and ultimately harms the middle and lower classes of society.' This newspaper accused media close to government reformists of a 'coordinated effort' to 'prematurely portray negotiations positively', stating that 'excitement, daydreaming, and conditioning only benefit external currents.'