Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared Wednesday that his country will not abandon its uranium enrichment program, refusing to back down on a sticking point in U.S.-Iranian nuclear negotiations.
Iran received the newest proposal from the U.S. on Saturday following the fifth round of negotiations in Oman. Ayatollah Khamenei on Wednesday harshly criticized the proposal, which reportedly offered sanctions relief in exchange for limits to Iran’s enrichment program.
“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 program. Who are you to decide whether Iran should have enrichment?” the ayatollah said in televised remarks.
Iranian leaders have long maintained that the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program is purely peaceful and used for civilian purposes.
However, nuclear watchdogs and adversarial foreign leaders have sounded the alarm over Iran’s uranium enrichment, asserting that the country is only a step away from weapons-grade enrichment.
Iran has intensified its enrichment program ever since Mr. Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Iran deal in 2018, which removed some sanctions in exchange for limits to its nuclear program.
Hardliners in the U.S. and Israel want the complete dismantling of Iran’s enrichment program. When reports circulated earlier this week that U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff had delivered a deal that would allow Iran to continue its enrichment program, President Trump roundly denied the allegations.
“Under our potential Agreement — WE WILL NOT ALLOW ANY ENRICHMENT OF URANIUM!” the president posted Monday on Truth Social.
Still, with Iran insistent that it will not concede on enrichment, some expect U.S. negotiators to relent on the issue while still pressing for severe restrictions. The leaked details of the deal delivered on Saturday would have allowed Iran to continue enrichment up to 3% and force the country to accept intense nuclear surveillance.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.