Iranian supreme chief says subject of uranium enrichment stays key to Tehran’s pursuit of power independence.
Iranian Supreme Chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has pledged that Tehran is not going to abandon its uranium enrichment, rejecting a key demand in a United States proposal geared toward resolving a long-running dispute over Iran’s nuclear programme.
The feedback had been delivered in a speech on Wednesday because the US and Iran proceed to barter the main points of a doable new nuclear deal. The difficulty of uranium enrichment has remained a sticking level within the talks, with the US reportedly demanding an entire halt or low-level enrichment in trade for the lifting of Western sanctions in opposition to Tehran.
“The US nuclear proposal contradicts our nation’s perception in self-reliance and the precept of ‘We Can,’” Khamenei mentioned in his speech delivered on the commemoration of the demise of the Islamic Republic’s founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in 1989.
Khamenei mentioned the problem of uranium enrichment remained key to Iran’s pursuit of power independence.
“Independence means not ready for the inexperienced mild from America and the likes of America,” he mentioned, including that the US proposal was “one hundred pc in opposition to” the beliefs of the 1979 Islamic revolution.
He mentioned Tehran wouldn’t search Washington’s approval for its choices.
“Some individuals assume that rationality means bowing all the way down to America and surrendering to the oppressive energy; this isn’t rationality,” Khamenei mentioned.
“Why are you interfering in whether or not Iran ought to have enrichment or not? You can’t have a say.”
On Monday, the Reuters information company had reported that Tehran was poised to reject the newest US proposal to finish a decades-old nuclear dispute, quoting an unnamed diplomat as saying the proposal was a “non-starter” that fails to melt Washington’s stance on uranium enrichment or to handle Tehran’s pursuits.
Tehran mentioned it needs to grasp nuclear expertise for peaceable functions and has lengthy denied accusations by Western powers that it’s looking for to develop nuclear weapons.
US envoy Steve Witkoff, who heads the American delegation in talks with Iran, has mentioned President Donald Trump opposes Tehran persevering with any enrichment, calling it a “crimson line”.
A leaked United Nations report exhibits that Iran has ramped up manufacturing of enriched uranium close to weapons-grade by 50 p.c within the final three months. It’s nonetheless quick, nevertheless, of the roughly 90 p.c required for atomic weapons, however nonetheless considerably above the 4 p.c or so wanted for energy manufacturing.
Iran, nevertheless, has rejected the newest report from the Worldwide Atomic Vitality Company (IAEA), saying it’s “politically motivated and repeates baseless accusations”.