Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has rejected criticism from the United States about Iran's nuclear program, saying on Tuesday that Tehran will not seek permission from anyone to enrich uranium.
He has described the United States' statements as "nonsense."
"They say: 'We will not allow Iran to enrich uranium.' This exceeds all limits," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said during a memorial ceremony for the late President Ebrahim Raisi, who died last year in a helicopter crash.
"It is a big mistake on their part to say that we will not allow Iran to enrich uranium. Nobody is waiting for permission for this or that. The Islamic Republic has a policy, it has a method, and it follows its policy... The issue of enrichment is not up for discussion at all," he added.
Washington and Tehran have been holding indirect talks in recent weeks about Iran's nuclear program.
However, Khamenei does not seem to believe that they will bring any results.
"Yes, there were indirect talks during Rais' time, just as there are now. But they didn't lead anywhere - and we don't expect much from these current ones either. Who knows what will happen," he stressed.
His comments reflect Tehran's growing anger over stalled nuclear talks, as well as the heightened tensions that have characterized US-Iran relations in recent years.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told the state news agency IRNA that "no final decision has yet been made on the next round of negotiations," adding that "the Islamic Republic of Iran is reviewing the issue in light of the contradictory and constantly changing positions of the American side."
IRNA also reported that Kazem Gharibabadi, the deputy foreign minister, said that Tehran has received a proposal regarding the next round of indirect talks with Washington and is considering it./ REL (A2 Televizion)
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