ISLAMABAD (PEN) : Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has firmly dismissed a U.S.-backed nuclear proposal, declaring that halting uranium enrichment would be entirely against Iran’s national interests. His remarks come amid renewed diplomatic efforts to resolve longstanding tensions surrounding Tehran’s nuclear program.
Supreme Leader: “100% Against Our Interests”
Speaking during a nationally televised address marking the anniversary of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s death, Khamenei criticized a proposal conveyed to Tehran via Oman, which has been mediating indirect talks between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff.
“The proposal that the Americans have presented is 100% against our interests,” Khamenei stated. “Uranium enrichment is the key to our nuclear programme and the enemies have focused on the enrichment. Who are you to decide whether Iran should have enrichment?”
While he did not indicate a formal withdrawal from ongoing negotiations, Khamenei emphasized that Iran would not abandon its right to enrich uranium, calling the demand “contradictory to our nation’s belief in self-reliance and the principle of ‘We Can’.”
U.S. Proposal Viewed as a “Non-Starter”
The U.S. plan reportedly requires Iran to halt uranium enrichment and export its stockpile of highly enriched uranium—conditions Tehran views as unacceptable. Iranian officials argue that their nuclear activities are intended solely for peaceful, civilian purposes and have repeatedly denied any ambitions to develop nuclear weapons.
According to reports, Iranian negotiators are preparing to formally reject the U.S. offer, seeing it as lacking concessions on critical issues, especially regarding Washington’s maximum pressure sanctions and security assurances.
Mounting Regional Tensions
Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who returned to office in January, has revived his “maximum pressure*” campaign, imposing additional sanctions and threatening military action if talks collapse.
“Trump wants to curtail Tehran’s potential to produce a nuclear weapon that could trigger a regional arms race and perhaps threaten Israel,” said a senior U.S. official familiar with the negotiations.
The situation is further complicated by warnings from *Saudi Arabia, which has urged Iran to reach a settlement or face potential military action by **Israel*, a country that views Iran’s nuclear program as an existential threat.
Background: From 2015 Deal to Renewed Hostilities
The latest developments follow the breakdown of the 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Trump withdrew from the pact during his first term, reimposing sanctions that significantly harmed Iran’s economy. In response, Tehran accelerated its enrichment activities beyond the agreement’s limits.
Iran’s leadership is currently managing multiple domestic and regional challenges, including *economic instability,energy shortages, and **military setbacks* in proxy conflicts, all under the strain of international sanctions and the looming threat of Israeli airstrikes on nuclear facilities.
Tehran, however, has warned that any strike would be met with a *strong retaliatory response*.
