Khamenei Responds to Washington Over Uranium Enrichment

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Uranium enrichment has resurfaced as one of the key sticking points obstructing any imminent agreement between the United States and Iran.

On Wednesday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei declared that the American proposal to reach a nuclear agreement contradicts Iran’s national interests, stressing that the country “will not abandon uranium enrichment.”

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The issue of uranium enrichment has long been a contentious matter in negotiations between the two sides.

In his speech, Khamenei stated, “Uranium enrichment is the core of the nuclear issue and remains a fundamental component of Iran’s nuclear program.”

On Monday, an Iranian diplomat told Reuters that the country is poised to reject a U.S. proposal to resolve the decades-long nuclear dispute, describing the offer as “unfeasible” and saying it neither softens Washington’s stance on enrichment nor considers Tehran’s national interests.

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Tehran maintains that it seeks to master nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and has consistently denied Western accusations of pursuing nuclear weapons.

A few hours after Iran reiterated its rejection of any nuclear deal that would prevent it from conducting “peaceful” activities—a clear reference to uranium enrichment—the U.S. president responded that the United States would not allow Tehran to conduct “any uranium enrichment.”

On Monday, Donald Trump stated that the nuclear deal currently under negotiation between the U.S. and Iran would not permit any uranium enrichment by Tehran.

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Writing on his social media platform, Truth Social, the Republican president said: “Under our potential agreement, there will be no uranium enrichment allowed.”

This firm message followed a report by Axios indicating that the latest U.S. proposal submitted to Tehran on Saturday would allow limited enrichment—a position that the Trump administration had always rejected.

Uranium enrichment remains one of the most divisive issues in the talks aimed at reaching a nuclear agreement, which began in April. While Iran defends what it calls a civilian nuclear program, the United States sees it as a “red line.”

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Western powers and Israel—Iran’s arch-enemy and, according to experts, the only nuclear-armed state in the Middle East—suspect Tehran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons. Tehran denies these accusations, insisting its enrichment activities are strictly peaceful.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran is currently the only non-nuclear-weapon state enriching uranium to the 60% level.

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