Ayatollah Khamenei Slams 'Outrageous’ US 'Red Line’ Demand Of Iran In Nuclear Talks
After several days of back-and-forth public criticisms and US declarations of a „red line” – Iran’s Supreme Leader has finally weighed in definitively on where things stand from Tehran’s perspective.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called the latest US demands that Iranian enrichment be taken down to zero „excessive and outrageous,” according to state media. He further expressed doubts that current nuclear talks with the Trump administration will actually lead anywhere.
„I don’t think nuclear talks with the U.S. will bring results. I don’t know what will happen,” Khamenei said. He further called on Washington to cease making over-the-top demands in nuclear talks. Tehran officials have of late also called the Trump administration’s stance „contradictory” – after President Trump attempted overtures, sprinkled with direct threats, in his Iran-related rhetoric while in the Gulf last week.
„The American side in these indirect talks should avoid nonsensical remarks,” the country’s top religious cleric and highest authority continued. „Saying they will not allow Iran to enrich is a big mistake. No-one waits for their permission.”
The Ayatollah made the remarks while speaking at a memorial honoring late President Ebrahim Raisi, who one year ago died when his helicopter crashed in northern mountains:
He praised Raisi, a fellow hardline cleric, for refusing direct talks with the US while in office.
„He clearly said 'no’ without ambiguity,” Khamanei noted, adding that Raisi did not let enemies „drag Iran to the negotiating table through threats or tricks”.
Khamenei said nuclear talks under Raisi’s predecessor, the moderate cleric Hassan Rouhani, had failed to achieve results, and that he did not think there would be any breakthrough under his successor, Masoud Pezeshkian, who is a reformist.
President Trump had last week said the Iranians „sort of” agreed to the terms of a deal following four rounds of talks mediated by Oman, going back to mid-April.
Also last week, a top Iranian nuclear official said it was possible that Iran could given up enrichment in exchange for sanctions relief. But this was clearly premature, and the Ayatollah is now seeking to clarify the Islamic Republic’s stance.
Americans have been told for 20 years: Iran is just a few months away from a nuclear weapon! The world has heard continuously: we have only months to bomb Iran to prevent it!
I cited a sample during my debate in NYC with Alan Dershowitz last year on whether the US should bomb: pic.twitter.com/xJpR9uqMWP
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) May 12, 2025
Trump envpy Steve Witkoff on the Sunday news shows made clear that the issue of abandoning enrichment is a „red line” from the US administration. He described to ABC the „red line” for Iran is no enrichment, not even one percent. And yet the past couple decades have seen Iran time and again view this as a non-starter.
„Everything begins… with a deal that does not include enrichment… because enrichment enables weaponization, and we will not allow a bomb to get here,” he added.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 05/20/2025 – 08:45
