Ayatollah Ali Khamenei addressing Friday prayers- File photo
Srinagar: Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, said on Wednesday that abandoning uranium enrichment was “100 percent” against Tehran’s interests, effectively rejecting a key U.S. demand in weeks of tense negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.
The Trump administration over the weekend proposed the outline of a deal that would seem to allow Iran to continue enriching uranium, which had been a sticking point in talks — but only temporarily. With talks at an impasse, the proposal was seen as a potential concession that could open a path to compromise.
In his first public remarks since the proposal was reported on, Ayatollah Khamenei said that Iran’s “response to the U.S. government’s nonsense is clear.”
“The first word of the US is that Iran should not have a nuclear industry and should rely on the United States,” the Leader said in a televised speech from the mausoleum of Ayatollah Ruhullah Khomeini, in southern Tehran Wednesday.
“Our response to the US’ nonsense is clear: they cannot do a damn thing in this matter,” the Leader said as Iran marked the 36th anniversary of the passing of the founder of the Islamic Republic.
US media reports said Tuesday the Trump administration is proposing an arrangement that would permit “limited low-level uranium enrichment on Iranian soil for a to-be-determined period of time.”
“Under the proposal, the United States would facilitate the building of nuclear power reactors for Iran and negotiate the construction of enrichment facilities managed by a consortium of regional countries,” The New York Times wrote. “Once Iran began receiving any benefits from those promises, it would have to stop all enrichment in the country.”
Ayatollah Khamenei said, “Uranium enrichment is the key to the nuclear issue, and the enemies have also put their fingers on enrichment.”
He cited the 1980s experience of US unreliability in providing fuel to Iran, when the United States and Europeans denied 20% enriched uranium to the Islamic Republic.
“Why are you interfering? Whether Iran has enrichment or not, what does it matter to you? Who are you? Iran leader said, addressing the US.
Ayatollah Khamenei said Iran has achieved a complete nuclear fuel cycle with great efforts, adding the nuclear industry is not just for energy.
“The nuclear industry is a parent industry. Numerous scientific fields are affected by the nuclear industry.”
Ayatollah Khamenei said Iran, with a growing, stable and authoritative political system born of a great revolution under the leadership of Imam Khomeini, surprised the Western world.
Emphasising that the national independence does not mean isolation and lack of connection with the world; Ayatollah said it means the Iranian nation and the country stand on their own feet.
“National independence means that the country should not wait for the green or red light from the United States and its ilk; a key element of national independence is the principle of ‘we can’,” Iran leader said.
“In the nuclear issue, the US plan is 100% against ‘we can’,” he added.
