Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has firmly shut down any chance of nuclear talks with the United States, blasting Washington for repeatedly breaking its word. In a recent speech aired on state TV, Khamenei said the U.S. lies, makes military threats, carries out assassinations, and even bombs nuclear sites. “We can’t sit down and make deals with a side like that,” he added.
This comes right after Tehran doubled down on refusing direct negotiations over its nuclear program. Khamenei called such talks a “dead end,” even as diplomats chat on the edges of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. The remarks followed a key meeting between Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and officials from Germany, France, the United Kingdom—together known as the E3—and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. They discussed snapping back sanctions on Iran, set to kick in soon.
Tensions run high around restarting talks with the U.S. At the UNGA, President Donald Trump warned that Iran will never get a nuclear weapon and labeled Tehran the world’s top sponsor of terror. Khamenei fired back, saying the U.S. is dictating terms ahead of time—like forcing Iran to shut down its nuclear activities and uranium enrichment. “That’s not negotiation; it’s an imposition,” he stated.
The timing is no coincidence. Just days ago, the UN Security Council shot down a push to extend sanctions relief for Iran under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the nuclear deal. The E3 countries accuse Iran of violating the deal by building up a uranium stockpile more than 40 times the allowed limit. That agreement, signed by Iran and world powers including the U.S., eased sanctions in return for curbs on Iran’s nuclear program. But Trump pulled the U.S. out in 2018 and slapped on tough “maximum pressure” sanctions, a policy the Biden administration has mostly stuck with.
Europe is holding out some hope. Officials say they might push back the sanctions deadline if Iran jumps back into direct U.S. talks, lets UN nuclear inspectors visit its sites freely, and explains what happened to over 400 kg of highly enriched uranium tracked by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Still, Tuesday’s UNGA sidelines meeting didn’t break any ground. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul admitted it “didn’t go particularly well.” As Iran nuclear program standoffs drag on, the push for a new JCPOA deal looks tougher than ever.
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