Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has cast doubt on ongoing talks with the United States over Iran’s nuclear programme, saying Washington is making a “big mistake” by demanding a complete ban on uranium enrichment in the Middle Eastern country.
Khamenei said on May 20 that he “does not think” that negotiations with the United States over Tehran’s nuclear programme will succeed.
In particular, he pointed to recent U.S. statements, notably President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Whitkoff’s statement last week that any new agreement between Washington and Tehran must include an agreement to refrain from enrichment-a possible path to developing nuclear weapons.
“The U.S. side involved in these indirect negotiations should talk, negotiate and try not to say stupid things,” he said. – “It’s a big mistake on their part-saying we’re not going to allow Iran to enrich uranium. No one is waiting for permission to do this or that. The Islamic Republic has a policy, a method and follows its own policy Discussing enrichment is not a matter of discussion at all.”
Iran maintains that its nuclear programme is for peaceful civilian purposes, but government officials raised concerns late last year, saying it could change its “nuclear doctrine” if it was attacked by Israel or its existence threatened.
Witkoff said the Trump administration’s “red line” in nuclear talks with Iran is Tehran’s ability to enrich uranium at any level, which has prompted Iran to say it will continue enrichment “with or without an agreement”.
“It all starts with a deal that doesn’t include enrichment because enrichment allows for weaponisation,” he said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi criticised what he called inconsistent US public messaging and attributed the zero enrichment comments to the Trump administration’s attempt to appease “special interest groups”, which he called “malicious actors”.