Tehran (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, stated on Wednesday that giving up uranium enrichment was “100%” against the nation’s interests, dismissing a key US demand in talks to resolve a long-standing dispute over Iran’s nuclear aims.
On Saturday, Oman presented the US proposal for a new nuclear deal to Iran, having mediated talks between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff.
Following five rounds of negotiations, several contentious issues remain unresolved, including Iran’s demand to continue uranium enrichment domestically and Tehran’s refusal to export its entire existing stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which could be used as raw material for nuclear weapons.
How did Khamenei respond to the U.S. proposal?
Iran’s Supreme Leader, who has the ultimate authority on all state matters, made no mention of halting the talks, but did say the US proposal “goes against our nation’s values of self-reliance and the principle of ‘We Can'”.
Uranium enrichment is the cornerstone of our nuclear programme, and our enemies have targeted it in particular, Khamenei said in a televised speech marking the anniversary of the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic.
“The proposal that the Americans have presented is 100% against our interests … The rude and arrogant leaders of America repeatedly demand that we should not have a nuclear programme. Who are you to decide whether Iran should have enrichment?”
He also said. Iran claims it aims to develop nuclear technology solely for peaceful purposes and has long rejected Western allegations that it is trying to acquire nuclear weapons.
How does Trump’s policy affect Iran’s nuclear stance?
The U.S. plan failed to meet Tehran’s interests or soften Washington’s position on uranium enrichment, and Tehran was ready to reject it, according to a Reuters story on Monday. Since taking office again in January, Trump has resurrected his “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran, which includes escalating sanctions and threatening to strike Iran if the negotiations failed to produce a deal.
Trump wants to curtail Tehran’s potential to produce a nuclear weapon that could trigger a regional nuclear arms race and perhaps threaten Israel. Iran’s clerical establishment, for its part, wants to be rid of devastating sanctions.
Trump reimposed sanctions that have severely damaged Iran’s economy during his first term, abandoning Tehran’s 2015 nuclear agreement with six nations. In response, Iran increased enrichment well beyond the parameters of the accord.
Lailuma Sadid is a former diplomat in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Embassy to the kingdom of Belgium, in charge of NATO. She attended the NATO Training courses and speakers for the events at NATO H-Q in Brussels, and also in Nederland, Germany, Estonia, and Azerbaijan. Sadid has is a former Political Reporter for Pajhwok News Agency, covering the London, Conference in 2006 and Lisbon summit in 2010.
