Sipu Jha
As European leaders warned that sanctions on Iran could soon be reimposed over the country’s nuclear program, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday that the country does not plan to build nuclear weapons but rejected direct talks with the United States, calling them “a sheer dead end.“Khamenei said Iran had no reason to engage in talks with the United States, even though France, Germany, and Britain have said such negotiations are necessary if Iran wants to keep existing sanctions relief.“We have reached an advanced level in uranium enrichment. While countries aiming to develop nuclear weapons enrich uranium up to 90%, we have limited ours at 60%,” Khamenei said in a national address. He repeated that Iran would not increase enrichment to weapons-grade levels, “because we have no need for such weapons and have intended to not pursue nuclear weapons.”The supreme leader ruled out talks with Washington, calling them “a sheer dead end.”“The US has announced the results of the talks in advance,” he said. “The result is the closure of nuclear activities and enrichment. This is not a negotiation. It is a diktat, an imposition.” “Negotiating with the US is severely detrimental. They’ve threatened if we don’t negotiate, they’ll do this & that. Accepting such negotiations means Islamic Republic of Iran is susceptible to threats. It means we become frightened & surrender in the face of threats.“He added, “The US side says Iran mustn’t have enrichment whatsoever; what does this mean? It means they’re saying this great achievement for which our country has worked so hard should be destroyed! The Iranian nation will slap anyone who suggests such a thing and refuse to accept it.”On past strikes against Iranian nuclear sites, Khamenei said: “They came and bombed [Iranian enrichment] facilities in this and that place. But enrichment is a science, and science cannot be destroyed. Science cannot be eliminated by bombs, threats, and such things.”His remarks, broadcast on Iranian state TV, came as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attended the UN General Assembly in New York. Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi also met diplomats from France, Germany, and Britain about the pending sanctions.The German foreign office said in a post on X after the talks that France, Germany, Britain, and the EU had asked Iran to take action within days, “if not hours,” on concerns about its nuclear program. The statement said Iran should return to direct talks with the US and allow the International Atomic Energy Agency full access to its nuclear facilities “in line with its obligations.”The three European nations, known as the E3, have triggered the “snapback” process that will bring back UN sanctions unless an agreement is reached. The sanctions are set to take effect on Sunday if no deal is made. They would freeze Iranian assets abroad, stop arms sales to Tehran, and restrict its ballistic missile program, among other measures.
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