Maps
Magazine

WORLD NEWS

Iran’s Supreme Leader Rejects US Demand to Halt Uranium Enrichment
Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei vows not to abandon uranium enrichment, rejecting key US demand in nuclear talks amid ongoing sanctions debate.
ND
by News Desk
2025-06-04
Iran’s Supreme Leader Rejects US Demand to Halt Uranium Enrichment

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has firmly rejected a key United States demand to halt uranium enrichment, emphasizing Tehran’s commitment to maintaining its nuclear program as negotiations for a new nuclear deal continue.

In a speech commemorating the death anniversary of the Islamic Republic’s founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Khamenei stated that the US proposal, which demands complete or low-level enrichment in exchange for sanction relief, contradicts Iran’s principle of self-reliance and independence. He stressed that Iran would not seek approval from the US or any external power in its nuclear decisions.

“Independence means not waiting for the green light from America,” Khamenei said, labeling the US demands as “100 percent against” the ideals of the 1979 Islamic revolution. He accused the US of unjustly interfering in Iran’s sovereign rights to pursue peaceful nuclear technology.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also reiterated Tehran’s stance that it would not abandon its nuclear rights, while denying any pursuit of nuclear weapons. He pointed to the US and its allies as destabilizing the region by proliferating weapons of mass destruction.

Recent reports, including a leaked United Nations document, show Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile nearing higher levels but still short of weapons-grade. Iran dismissed these reports as politically motivated.

The ongoing nuclear talks remain tense, with US envoy Steve Witkoff reaffirming that President Donald Trump considers uranium enrichment a “red line.” Failure to reach a new agreement risks escalating tensions in an already volatile Middle East, especially with Israel’s ongoing conflict in Gaza.

 
Tagged:

USIranRelations

AyatollahKhamenei

IranNuclearDeal
Share News: