CNN
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Iran’s top leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said he does not expect negotiations with the US over Tehran’s nuclear program that “conclusion” will be reached when Washington tightens its terms of deal.
“In the days of (former President Ebrahim) Reisi, there were also indirect negotiations that didn’t happen, and now we doubt we’ll reach a conclusion.
Khamenei made a call The US demands that Iran do not enrich uranium “big mistakes.” Tehran does not wait for US permission. Addressing the American negotiators, he added: “Don’t speak any nonsense.”
American officials have sent mixed signals about whether Iran would allow uranium to be enriched domestically under the nuclear agreement. Uranium is a nuclear fuel that can be used to generate bombs when enriched to high levels.
Iran claims it has the right to enrich under the UN Treaty on Nuclear Non-Proliferation (NPT) and says it will not waive it under any circumstances.
US President Donald Trump threatened to attack Iran if he disagrees with a nuclear deal, but he did not expressly rule out his right to enrich uranium when he repeated the threat last week on a trip to the Middle East.
However, US special envoy Steve Witkoff told the ABC over the weekend that “Washington cannot even allow 1% of its fulfillment capacity” as he had led the American delegation into consultations and had previously suggested that Iran would be allowed to enrich uranium. “We’ve provided suggestions to the Iranians, but I think we’re working on some of these without underestimating them,” he said.
Iran’s Deputy Minister Majid Takt Ravanch was quoted as saying in Iran’s Noor news on Monday that if Washington claimed Tehran had abandoned enrichment, nuclear talks with the US “really won’t reach anywhere.”
Iran and the US held fourth round of talks in Oman earlier this month aimed at restraining Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. Iran’s Foreign Ministry described these consultations as “difficult.”
Witkov said there could be a next round of talks in Europe this week. “I hope that leads to some real positivity,” he added.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Aragci said on Tuesday that Iran has been provided with a date for the next consultation but has yet to accept it.
When asked how negotiations have been going on so far, he jokingly said that both sides are still fighting.
