Speaking at a ceremony honoring late President Ebrahim Raisi and other victims of the helicopter crash on Tuesday, Ayatollah Khamenei criticized recent US rhetoric during indirect nuclear negotiations.
“American officials involved in these indirect talks should refrain from making baseless remarks,” he said, further noting, “Saying that Iran is not allowed to enrich uranium is sheer arrogance. No one is waiting for their permission.”
He emphasized that Iran follows its own independent policies and will continue to do so. “The Islamic Republic has a clear strategy and acts on it.”
Ayatollah Khamenei pointed out that the late President Raisi firmly rejected direct negotiations with the US during his presidency, underscoring that while indirect talks took place, they were ultimately unproductive.
“He did not allow the enemy to claim that it had brought Iran to the negotiating table through threats, bribes, or deception,” Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized.
He noted that indirect negotiations did occur during President Raisi’s administration, similar to current ongoing efforts, but added that they yielded no tangible results.
“Even now, we do not expect these negotiations to reach a conclusion. We do not know what will happen,” he said.
The remarks come as Tehran and Washington are preparing to sit down for the fifth round of nuclear talks, as Iran has complained over the US’s ‘contradictory’ statements on the previous rounds of negotiations.
