Iran's Khamenei rejects US nuclear demand, vows to keep enriching uranium

4/6/2025 16:32

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday Tehran will not abandon its uranium enrichment, rejecting a key U.S. demand aimed at resolving a decades-long nuclear dispute, that he said was against the Islamic Republic's interests.



The U.S. proposal for a new nuclear deal was presented to Iran on Saturday by Oman, which has mediated talks between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff.



After five round of talks, several hard-to-bridge issues remain, including Iran's insistence on maintaining uranium enrichment on its soil and Tehran's refusal to ship abroad its entire existing stockpile of highly enriched uranium - possible raw material for nuclear bombs.



"Uranium enrichment is the key to our nuclear programme and the enemies have focused on the enrichment," Khamenei said in a televised speech. The U.S. proposal "contradicts our nation's belief in self-reliance and the principle of 'We Can'," he said.



"The rude and arrogant leaders of America repeatedly demand that we should not have a nuclear programme. Who are you to decide whether Iran should have an enrichment?," he added.