•Donald Trump and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has voiced skepticism over ongoing nuclear negotiations with the United States, saying he does not believe the discussions will yield any results, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency.
Speaking during this morning meeting with Iranian officials, Khamenei acknowledged the uncertainty of the outcome but made it clear that Iran would not abandon its nuclear enrichment programme, reports ABC News.
“We don’t think it will lead to any results. We don’t know what will happen,” Khamenei said, expressing doubt about the direction of the talks.
The negotiations, held in Muscat, have involved high-level but “indirect” discussions between American and Iranian diplomats.
Tehran has described the first four rounds as “difficult but useful,” while Washington has said it is “encouraged” by the progress made so far.
Khamenei referenced previous efforts under the late President Ebrahim Raisi, stating that earlier indirect talks had also failed to reach a resolution. “It is the same now,” he said.
He issued a stern warning to U.S. officials who have called on Iran to halt uranium enrichment.
“Speaking of negotiations, I would like to give a reminder to the other party.
“The American side that enters into these indirect negotiations and talk, they should try not to talk nonsense.
“To say that we will not allow Iran to enrich, this is a big mistake. No one is waiting for their permission. The Islamic Republic has a policy, it has a method, it pursues its own policy,” Khamenei stated
Following Khamenei’s remarks, Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi reinforced the leader’s position, saying “Today, the Supreme Leader set the task completely clear. We are witnessing completely unreasonable and illogical positions of the Americans. Enrichment is not a topic for negotiable at all.”
Although Iranian officials have remained firm that uranium enrichment is non-negotiable, they have expressed willingness to engage in discussions about increased transparency and ways to demonstrate the peaceful nature of their nuclear activities.
