Iran rejects US proposal, No enrichment, no deal, says Araghchi

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Wednesday reaffirmed that uranium enrichment remains a central and non-negotiable component of Iran’s nuclear program, rejecting a US proposal for a possible nuclear deal and dampening hopes for a quick compromise. “The US nuclear proposal contradicts our nation's belief in self-reliance and the principle of 'We Can',” he added, referring to a core slogan of the Islamic Republic's founder Rouhollah Khomeini.Speaking at Khomeini’s mausoleum in  Tehran, Khamenei added, “The first word of the US is that Iran should not have a nuclear industry and should rely on the United States. “Our response to the US nonsense is clear: they cannot do a damn thing in this matter.” The phrase echoed a statement by Khomeini on the powerlessness of the United States to free captives his loyalists took during the Iran hostage crisis - a nadir in US-Iran relations.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also said that Iran will not abandon uranium enrichment under any nuclear agreement. “There is no scenario in which we will give up on the patriots who made our dream come true,” Araghchi wrote on X, referring to Iran’s nuclear scientists. He added: “No enrichment, no deal. No nuclear weapons, we have a deal.”  Araghchi said few nations possess the industrial and scientific base required to fuel nuclear reactors and stressed that Iran has paid a high price to develop that capacity.
Iran’s nuclear chief on Wednesday pledged to continue advancing the country’s nuclear program with what he described as “faith, revolutionary spirit, and heartfelt conviction,” vowing to resist demands from the United States and other powers,Atomic Energy Organization head Mohammad Eslami said in a statement addressed to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.