This came in a speech during a ceremony commemorating the anniversary of the death of former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his companions in a helicopter crash on May 19, 2024.
Commenting on his country's negotiations with the United States, Khamenei said: "Martyr Raisi explicitly stated that he would not negotiate directly with the United States. Of course, indirect talks took place during Martyr Raisi's term, but they did not yield any results."
He added, "We do not believe that the (current) indirect negotiations with Washington will lead to a result, and we do not know what will happen." He added, "Washington must stop making outrageous demands in the negotiations."
Regarding the US demand for direct negotiations and Iran's insistence on indirect negotiations, Khamenei said: "The reason behind the US's insistence on direct negotiations is its claim that it managed to bring Iran to the negotiating table through threats and deception."
Khamenei reiterated his rejection of direct negotiations and warned that the US side should stop making what he described as "nonsense" statements regarding indirect negotiations. He explained that saying that the US would not allow Iran to enrich uranium is a grave mistake, emphasizing that his country does not wait for permission from "this or that" to enrich.
On Monday, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht Ravanchi said, "The talks will fail if Washington insists that Tehran refrain from domestic uranium enrichment."
These statements come amid ongoing negotiations between Tehran and Washington regarding the nuclear issue. Iran is seeking to lift sanctions in exchange for curbing some of its nuclear activities, without infringing on its right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
US envoy Steve Witkoff told ABC News: "Uranium enrichment is a very, very clear red line for the Trump administration. We cannot allow it because enrichment enables weaponization."
US President Donald Trump said last week that Tehran must "move quickly or something bad will happen."
It's worth noting that the United States previously hinted at the possibility of accepting low-level enrichment by Iran, but its recent stance indicates a more stringent stance on this issue, amid divergent positions between the two sides.
On May 11, a fourth round of negotiations between Iran and the United States concluded in the Sultanate of Oman. While Tehran described the round as "difficult but useful," Washington considered it "encouraging."
These developments come amid a prolonged stalemate in nuclear negotiations between Iran and Western powers since Washington's withdrawal from the agreement in 2018, amid repeated attempts by both sides to revive it under new conditions.
