Ayatollah Khamenei expresses little confidence in nuclear talks with the US

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has expressed pessimism about negotiations with the US regarding his country's nuclear program. 'We do not believe it will lead to anything,' the ayatollah said during a speech. He called it a 'big mistake' to deny his country the right to enrich uranium.

Khamenei referred to a key sticking point in the negotiations. US envoy Steve Witkoff told ABC last weekend that Iran must not continue enriching uranium, calling it a red line. Iran, which claims to use nuclear energy only for civilian purposes, insists that giving up uranium enrichment is non-negotiable.

Uranium can be used for energy production but also to make nuclear weapons, the latter requiring highly enriched uranium. The US aims to prevent Iran from developing atomic weapons. Iranian diplomats have indicated they are open to discussions about the quantity and level of uranium enrichment.

Under a 2015 nuclear deal, Iran agreed to limit enrichment to 3.67%. Former US President Donald Trump withdrew from the agreement during his first term, calling it a bad deal. Iran subsequently stopped complying and is now reportedly enriching uranium up to 60%. A nuclear weapon requires uranium enriched to around 90%.