The negotiations between Washington and Tehran resist the “red line” of Witkov, whose negotiator is ours.
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has deposed a US demand to stop nuclear enrichment as negotiations between the two countries have balanced.
“It’s nonsense to say things like “Iran will not allow uranium to enrich.” There’s no one there. [in Iran] We are waiting for the permission of others,” said Khamenei in a speech reported on Tuesday by the country’s semi-official Mehr news agency.
He added that he had no idea whether the speech would “produce results.”
Since mid-April, Washington and Tehran have held four-round consultations via Oman aimed at restricting nuclear programs to Iran in exchange for sanctions relief.
However, repeated conflicts between the pairs threw the next round of negotiations. This is expected to take place in Rome over the weekend, Reuters said.
US President Donald Trump has abandoned the 2015 joint comprehensive plan of action that Iran and the world powers signed during their last term. Since returning to power in January, he has revived his “maximum pressure” approach to Iran, warning last week that he needs to talk about “moving quickly or something bad will happen.”
Tehran confirmed on Tuesday it was receiving and reviewing the US proposal, but Iran’s deputy minister Majid Takt Ravanchi said the day before that consultations would fail if Washington claimed Tehran was refraining from enriching uranium domestically.
Iran is now enriching uranium to 60%, which is far above the 3.67% limit set in the 2015 trade, but is now enriching uranium to 60%, below the 90% required for a nuclear warhead. It has repeatedly argued that the program is a peaceful purpose and is “unnegotiable.”
But US negotiator Steve Witkoff calls the program’s continuation “red line.” On Sunday, he reiterated that the US “cannot even allow 1% of its enrichment capacity.”
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Aragut said on Sunday that a transaction that ensures that Iran does not have nuclear weapons was “attainable.”
However, he stressed that Iran will continue to enrich uranium “with or without trade.”
In dealing with consultations on Iran’s peaceful nuclear program, US interlocutors can publicly state what they think is appropriate to drive away special interest groups. At least a malignant actor who set the agenda of the previous administration.
Iran can only do it…
– May 18, 2025, Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi)
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