![Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei makes the remarks during a ceremony marking the first anniversary of the death of former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in northern Iran last year, in Tehran, Iran, on May 20, 2025. [Iranian Leader Press Office - Anadolu Agency]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/AA-20250520-38023090-38023081-IRANS_KHAMENEI_RULES_OUT_MEANINGFUL_OUTCOME_FROM_NUCLEAR_TALKS_WITH_US.jpg?fit=920%2C613&ssl=1)
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, yesterday rejected the United States’ proposal for a new nuclear agreement.
Khamenei said the US offer was “completely” against the Islamic Republic’s principles of self-reliance. Addressing President Donald Trump, he said: “Who are you to tell Tehran whether it can enrich uranium or not?” He added that the US proposal “goes against our national independence.”
His remarks were in response to a report published by the New York Times on Tuesday, which stated that the Trump administration had proposed a temporary deal to Iran. The proposal would allow Iran to continue enriching uranium at low levels, while the US, in cooperation with other countries, would develop a coordinated plan to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
In his statement, Khamenei said: “The American proposal on the nuclear issue completely contradicts the slogan ‘We can’, which is a key principle in our country’s independence.”