Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is taking a decidedly pessimistic view of ongoing nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington, urging U.S. negotiators to temper their demands.
In comments Tuesday, Ayatollah Khamenei said that U.S. officials should refrain from demanding that Iran eliminate its uranium enrichment program, asserting that it was unrealistic and extreme.
“I don’t think nuclear talks with the U.S. will bring results. I don’t know what will happen,” he told Iranian state-run media.
The ayatollah’s comments echo those made by Iranian Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi this week. In comments Monday, the minister predicted that negotiations would fail if Washington continued to insist that Iran dismantle its uranium enrichment infrastructure.
A fifth round of nuclear negotiations is expected to take place this weekend in Rome, with U.S. officials hoping to secure more restrictions on Iran’s enrichment program in exchange for sanctions relief.
Iranian Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Tuesday that he and his colleagues are reviewing the most recent offer from the U.S.
The negotiations have continued under a fog of aggressive rhetoric from U.S. officials over the past month, including President Trump. Last week, Mr. Trump urged Iranian officials to make a deal or “something bad is going to happen.”
Since negotiations began, Mr. Trump has repeatedly promised to bomb Iran if the Islamic Republic does not agree to completely dismantle its nuclear program. Iran has taken measures to safeguard its uranium and its enrichment infrastructure should the U.S. conduct bombing missions.
Iran has long insisted that its uranium enrichment program is completely peaceful and that it will not consider dismantling it or transferring its enriched uranium to a third party.
Despite Tehran’s claims, nuclear watchdogs have found that Iran’s enrichment levels are very close to weapons-grade and agree that the country is not transparent enough with its nuclear material.
