Iran’s supreme leader has said the issue of uranium enrichment remains key to Tehran’s pursuit of energy independence.
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has pledged that Tehran will not abandon its uranium enrichment and reject key demand in a US proposal aimed at resolving a long-term conflict over Iran’s nuclear program.
Comments were made in a speech Wednesday as the US and Iran continue to negotiate details of possible new nuclear deals. The issue of uranium enrichment remains a fixture in consultations, with the US reportedly requesting a complete halt or low level of enrichment in exchange for lifting Western sanctions on Tehran.
“The US nuclear proposal contradicts our country’s belief in independence and the principle that “we can do it,” Khamenei said in a speech in 1989 on commemoration of the death of Ayatollah Ruhola Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic.
Khamenei said the issue of uranium enrichment remained key to Iran’s pursuit of energy independence.
“Independence means not waiting for a green light like America or America,” he said, adding that the US proposal was “100% opposed” to the ideals of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
He said Tehran would not seek Washington’s approval for the decision.
“Some people think that rationality means surrendering to America and surrendering to oppressive forces. This is not rationality,” Khamenei said.
“Why are you interfering with whether Iran should be enriched? You can’t speak up.”
On Monday, Reuters reported that Tehran is poised to reject the latest US proposal to end a decades-old nuclear conflict, saying it was a “non-starter” that could not ease Washington’s stance on uranium enrichment or failed to address Tehran’s concerns.
Tehran said it wanted to acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and has long denied accusations by Western countries that it aimed at developing nuclear weapons.
Steve Witkoff, the US envoy group that leads the US delegation during a talk with Iran, said President Donald Trump was opposed to what Tehran calls the “red line” and continued to enrich everything.
A leaked UN report shows that Iran has increased its production of enriched uranium near its arms grade by 50% over the past three months. However, the approximately 90% required for atomic weapons is still short, but it is significantly higher than the approximately 4% required for electricity production.
However, Iran rejected the latest report from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), saying it has “repeated politically motivated and unfounded accusations.”