Dubai, June 4 (Reuters) – Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday that abandoning uranium enrichment was “100%” to the country’s interests and rejected the central demand for talks to resolve decades of conflict over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
The US’s new nuclear deal proposal was submitted to Iran by Oman on Saturday. Oman mediated consultations between Iranian President Abbas Arakich and Middle Eastern envoy Steve Witkov.
After the five-round talk, several bridge-difficult issues remain, such as Iran’s claim to maintain uranium enrichment in the soil, and Iran’s claim to have refused to ship the entire existing stockpile of the existing abundant uranium for the nuclear bomb overseas.
Khamenei, who has the final say on all national issues, said nothing about stopping consultations, but said the US proposal “contradicts our country’s belief in independence and the principle that “we can do it.”
“Uranium enrichment is key to our nuclear program, and our enemy is focusing on enrichment,” Khamenei said in a speech aired on commemoration of the death of Ayatollah Ruhola Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic.
“The proposals presented by Americans are 100% of our interests. America’s rude and arrogant leaders repeatedly demand that we should not develop a nuclear program. Who will decide whether Iran should enrich or not?” he added.
Tehran says it has long denied accusations by Western countries that it wants to acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and is aiming to develop nuclear weapons.
“Maximum pressure”
Reuters reported Monday that Tehran is ready to reject the US proposal as a “non-starter” that failed to ease Washington’s stance on uranium enrichment and address Tehran’s interests.
Trump has revived his “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran since returning to the White House in January.
Trump wants to reduce the possibility of Tehran producing nuclear weapons that could trigger a regional nuclear arms race and possibly threaten Israel. Iran’s office facilities, in some of them, want to remove catastrophic sanctions.
During his first term, Trump abandoned Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with six forces, reconsidering the sanctions that crippled Iran’s economy. Iran responded by escalating enrichment well beyond the agreement’s limits.
Iran’s offices are tackling multiple crises, including energy and water shortages, a plunge currency, loss of regional militia mandate in conflict with Israel, and growing fears of Israel’s strike over its nuclear presence.
Iranian arch enemy Israel, which views Tehran’s nuclear program as an existential threat, has repeatedly threatened to bomb the Islamic Republic’s nuclear facilities to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
Tehran vowed to have a harsh response.
(Written by Nayera Abdallah and Parisa Hafezi, edited by Andrew Heavens and Aidan Lewis)
