Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has rejected U.S. demands for Tehran to halt uranium enrichment, casting doubt on the future of nuclear negotiations between the two countries.
“Statements like ‘We will not allow Iran to enrich uranium’ are nonsense. No one in Iran is waiting for others’ permission,” Khamenei said in a speech carried by Mehr News Agency. He added that he was unsure whether the ongoing negotiations would produce results.
Since mid-April, Tehran and Washington have held four rounds of Omani-mediated talks aimed at limiting Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. However, continued disagreements have placed the next round of talks—expected to take place in Rome—on shaky ground.
The United States, under President Donald Trump, previously withdrew from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and has since reimposed a “maximum pressure” strategy against Iran. Trump recently warned that talks must “move quickly or something bad is going to happen.”
Tehran confirmed it has received a new U.S. proposal, but Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi warned the talks would collapse if Washington demanded a halt to domestic uranium enrichment—a point viewed by the U.S
