News from the Cradle, published on Popular Resistance, May 21, 2025
The Islamic Republic has repeatedly rejected Washington’s calls for Tehran to halt uranium enrichment.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said on 20 May that Tehran is “not waiting for anyone’s permission” to enrich uranium, stressing that he does not expect a positive outcome from ongoing nuclear talks with the US and blasting Washington’s “absurd” statements.
His comments came during a speech for the one-year anniversary of the death of Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in a helicopter crash.
“We do not think that negotiations with the US will bear fruit now,” Khamenei said, adding, “We do not know what will happen.”
“The assertion by US representatives that they will not allow Iran to enrich uranium is a significant mistake. Iran is not waiting for anyone’s permission to enrich uranium,” he went on to say, warning Washington against making “empty and absurd statements.”
Iran “has its own policies and its own method” and “will continue to implement its policies,” the supreme leader asserted.
The speech follows recent statements by US officials doubling down on demands that Iran completely abandon uranium enrichment, which Tehran has repeatedly rejected.
“We have one very, very clear red line, and that is enrichment. We cannot allow even one percent of an enrichment capability,” US envoy Steve Witkoff said on 18 May.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded by saying that enrichment “will continue with or without a deal.” Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian also said on Monday that Iran “will not yield to pressures” and will continue to “pursue peaceful nuclear advancement.”
The last round of nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington concluded last weekend. Iranian officials noted a somewhat positive atmosphere, yet stressed that talks remain difficult.
Iran has received a proposal for a fifth round of nuclear negotiations with the US and is currently reviewing it, Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi said on Tuesday.
US President Donald Trump said last week that Iran must “move quickly, or something bad is going to happen,” reiterating his threats to launch a military attack on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Tehran has insisted over the years that its nuclear program is entirely peaceful. Washington and Tel Aviv have accused Iran of seeking to acquire a nuclear weapon, contradicting US intelligence assessments that say Tehran is not actively pursuing a bomb.
*Featured Image: AFP