Tehran (TDI): Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday that nuclear talks with the United States were unlikely to yield any results.
“We don’t believe these talks will yield any outcome. It’s uncertain what lies ahead,” Khamenei stated in his speech. He further called it “a major mistake” to deny Tehran’s right to enrich uranium.
Khamenei also urged the US side engaged in the indirect talks to stop “speaking nonsense.”
Earlier, Iran’s Foreign Minister and lead negotiator Abbas Araghchi said in a statement Iran will continue uranium enrichment with or without an agreement.
He said that if Washington is genuinely committed to preventing Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons, an agreement is within reach. “We are ready for serious negotiations to achieve a lasting solution that guarantees this outcome.”
Iranian diplomats have indicated that Tehran is willing to accept temporary limits on both the quantity and level of its uranium enrichment.
Araghchi criticized positions from US that he described as inconsistent with any logic and reason.
He said that these stances have led to serious disruptions in the discussion process. As a result, no date has been set for the next round of negotiations, and the issue remains under review, Iran’s top diplomat added.
On Sunday, Araghchi noted a dissonance between the public and private statements of US officials, stating Tehran has observed inconsistencies in their messaging.
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On Friday, Tehran held parallel discussions with UK, France and Germany — all parties to the 2015 agreement.
It is to be mentioned here that US President Donald Trump said last week that the United States was getting very close to securing a nuclear agreement with Iran.
“We’re in very serious talks with Tehran for long-term peace,” Trump stated on his Gulf tour.
Read More: Trump Vows Military Action Against Iran if Talks Fail
“We’re getting close to reach an agreement. There are two steps to doing this, one is a very nice step and the other is the violent step, but I don’t want to do it the second way,” he said.
Though both sides have said they prefer diplomacy to resolve the decades-long nuclear issue, they remain divided on several red lines that negotiators will have to circumvent to secure a new agreement and avert future military action.
Farkhund Yousafzai is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.