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Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei declared Tuesday that he does not expect any meaningful outcome from ongoing indirect nuclear negotiations with the United States while firmly rejecting American demands that Iran halt uranium enrichment activities.
Speaking at a ceremony marking the first anniversary of former President Ebrahim Raisi's death in a helicopter crash, Khamenei emphasized that while indirect talks have continued, they have not been productive.
"Of course, indirect negotiations continued both during his [Raisi's] time and now as well. But no results were achieved. We don't believe these negotiations will lead to any result now either, and we cannot predict what will happen," Khamenei stated.
The supreme leader's comments come as Iran and the United States have engaged in four rounds of indirect talks since last month, with Oman acting as mediator. The most recent round was held Sunday in the Omani capital, Muscat.
Khamenei sharply rejected recent statements from U.S. officials demanding that Iran dismantle its uranium enrichment program, calling such demands "nonsensical."
"While on the topic of negotiations, I have a warning for the other side. Americans should not talk nonsense. Saying they will not allow Iran to enrich uranium is quite wrong. Iran does not seek permission from anyone and does not wait for anyone's permission. Iran has an established policy and method and continues to follow its own path," he said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reinforced this position following the ceremony, telling Iran's official IRNA news agency that "the issue of uranium enrichment is not a negotiable matter for us."
"What we are witnessing now are completely illogical and irrational positions from the Americans that have been reflected in public over the past few days," Araghchi added.
The statements from Iranian officials follow comments from Steve Witkoff, U.S. Special Envoy for the Middle East and head of the U.S. negotiation team, who told ABC News that any agreement with Iran "must include an agreement not to enrich uranium."
"We have one very, very clear red line, and that is enrichment. We cannot allow even one percent of an enrichment capability," Witkoff said, adding that "enrichment is a very clear red line for the Trump administration. We cannot allow it because enrichment enables weaponization."
U.S. President Donald Trump has previously warned that Iran would face "something bad" if it did not quickly accept a U.S. proposal regarding its nuclear program, though Iranian officials deny receiving any written proposal either directly or indirectly.
Araghchi had stated on May 18 that Iran would continue its uranium enrichment activities with or without a deal and that U.S. insistence on this issue would halt negotiations.
According to Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister and nuclear negotiating team member Kazem Gharibabadi, a new proposal for the next round of indirect talks with the U.S. has been received and is "currently under review."
Khamenei also noted during the ceremony that he would explain to the Iranian people at an appropriate time why Western countries so persistently oppose Iran's uranium enrichment activities.
The nuclear negotiations center on Iran's desire to have sanctions lifted in exchange for limiting its nuclear program to prevent the development of nuclear weapons.
While U.S. officials had previously indicated acceptance of low-level uranium enrichment by Iran, recent statements suggest a hardening of the American position.
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