Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has declared the country’s standoff with the United States “unsolvable,” insisting that Tehran will never bow to pressure from Washington. His remarks, carried by state media on Sunday, underscore the deepening impasse over Iran’s nuclear programme.
The Islamic Republic suspended negotiations with the US after American and Israeli forces bombed Iranian nuclear facilities during a 12-day conflict in June. Despite this, Iran and European powers announced on Friday that they had agreed to resume talks aimed at restarting full negotiations on curbing Tehran’s uranium enrichment activities.
Khamenei, however, dismissed calls for direct dialogue with Washington. “They want Iran to be obedient to America. The Iranian nation will stand with all of its power against those who have such erroneous expectations,” he said. He added: “People who ask us not to issue slogans against the US. … to have direct negotiations with the US only see appearances … This issue is unsolvable.”
France, Britain, and Germany have signalled that they could trigger a “snapback” mechanism to reimpose United Nations sanctions if Tehran fails to return to negotiations in earnest. Western powers, alongside the United States, accuse Iran of advancing towards the development of nuclear weapons—a charge Tehran denies, maintaining that its nuclear activities are solely for energy production.
Khamenei’s defiant stance highlights the widening gap between Iran and Western powers, raising fresh doubts about the possibility of a diplomatic breakthrough in the near future.
Melissa Enoch
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