Desk Report:
Iran will not hold direct talks with the United States over its nuclear program. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made this clear during a diplomatic meeting on Iran’s nuclear program on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
According to a report by Qatari media outlet Al Jazeera, Tehran considers talks with Washington to be harmful to itself. Khamenei said that talks with the United States are a “completely fruitless effort.” Khamenei’s statement was broadcast on Iranian state television on Tuesday.
Before the broadcast of this statement, the country’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi met with diplomats from Germany, France and the United Kingdom. The three countries are collectively known as the “E Three”. He also held talks with European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Kaya Kallas. Punitive measures or sanctions on Iran were the main topic of discussion. The sanctions are due to take effect in a few days.
Khamenei’s comments came days after the UN Security Council rejected a proposal to extend sanctions relief for Iran. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the US had already announced the outcome of the talks. The outcome would be to halt Tehran’s nuclear activities and uranium enrichment. This is not a negotiation, but an attempt to impose.
E3 has accused Tehran of violating its nuclear commitments, including stockpiling 40 times more uranium than it did in the 2015 nuclear deal.
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a deal signed with the US and other world powers, lifted sanctions in exchange for limiting the country’s nuclear ambitions. But Trump reimposed sanctions on Iran in 2018 as part of his “maximum pressure” policy and unilaterally withdrew from the JCPOA, further fueling Iran’s nuclear program. The administration of President Joe Biden later criticized Trump’s policy, but it has continued.
European countries have said that if Iran returns to direct talks with the United States, UN inspectors are allowed access to its nuclear facilities and Tehran accounts for more than 400 kilograms (880 pounds) of highly enriched uranium, the period of exemption from sanctions could be extended. “There is room for diplomatic efforts. The clock is ticking, let’s see. We need to see some real action from Iran,” said EU foreign policy chief Kaya Kalas.
Meanwhile, US President Trump reiterated in a speech to the UN General Assembly that Iran will never be allowed to have nuclear weapons. He called Tehran the “world’s number one state sponsor of terrorism.”
