Iran’s supreme leader rejects US nuclear proposal, cites sovereignty concerns

On June 3, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, dismissed a US proposal for a nuclear agreement, claiming it directly undermines Iran’s sovereignty and national strength.

In an address marking the 36th anniversary of late leader Ruhollah Khomeini, Khamenei said that “the US nuclear proposal contradicts our nation’s belief in self-reliance and the principle of ‘We Can’,” Caliber.Az reports, citing the Iranian news agency Tasnim. 

Last weekend, US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff submitted a proposal to Iran for a nuclear deal, with the Trump administration urging Tehran to accept it or face the consequences.

The comments underscore Iran’s continued defiance amid stalled talks over reviving the 2015 nuclear agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which the United States exited in 2018.

On June 2, an Iranian diplomat told Reuters that Tehran was poised to reject a U.S. proposal to end a decades-old nuclear dispute, dismissing it as a "non-starter" that fails to soften Washington's stance on uranium enrichment or to address Tehran's interests.

Tehran says it wants to master nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and has long denied accusations by Western powers that it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.

By Khagan Isayev