On Wednesday, June 4, Iranian regime supreme leader Ali Khamenei rejected the U.S. demand in nuclear negotiations that “Iran will not be allowed to enrich uranium,” during a speech at the 36th anniversary of the death of Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the regime.
Khamenei stated that “uranium enrichment is the key to the nuclear issue,” adding, “The enemies have also focused on enrichment.”
He continued with harsh language, saying: “Why are you interfering in whether Iran should have enrichment or not? What’s it to you! Who do you think you are?”
Khamenei was referring to the U.S. proposal for reaching a nuclear agreement, which had been delivered to Iran on May 31 by the foreign minister of Oman.
U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Truth Social on Monday, June 2, that as part of a potential nuclear agreement, Washington would not accept any uranium enrichment by Iran.
Khamenei further claimed that the Iranian regime had “experienced America’s unreliability in the 2000s when it came to 20% fuel,” and said: “America’s main point is that Iran should not have a nuclear industry, so you will depend on America. Our response to America’s nonsense is clear: they can’t do a damn thing about it.”
In his speech, Khamenei described the nuclear industry as a “mother industry” and claimed that “multiple scientific fields are influenced by the nuclear industry.”
The Iranian regime’s leader further added: “The nuclear industry is not just for energy. That’s only one of its benefits—this is a mother industry. If we have one hundred nuclear power plants but no enrichment, it’s useless.”
Uranium enrichment: Industrial use or a cover for building nuclear bombs
Khamenei’s claims about the scientific application of the nuclear industry come at a time when the United States and its Western allies fear that the Iranian regime, under the guise of ordinary nuclear activities, is enriching uranium to high levels in pursuit of building nuclear weapons.
These concerns have intensified because, according to the latest report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Iranian regime has increased its stockpile of 60%-enriched uranium to over 400 kilograms.
In this context, Rafael Grossi, Director General of the IAEA, had previously stated that if Iran enriches uranium to a higher purity level, its stockpile would be sufficient to build at least six nuclear bombs.
According to experts, 60% enrichment is only one technical step away from 90% enrichment, which is the level needed to produce a nuclear weapon. The IAEA report also emphasized that Iran is the only non-nuclear-armed country that has enriched uranium to this level.
Khamenei’s remarks also come after the Iranian regime has spent billions of dollars in national resources over the past two decades on nuclear programs, expanding uranium enrichment in a manner that, according to experts, lacks any economic or technical justification.
These statements are also made while Iran’s only nuclear power plant, located in Bushehr, currently imports its fuel from Russia. The nuclear program has produced no tangible results in meeting Iran’s energy needs, and in recent months, power outages due to energy imbalances have caused serious harm to both the industrial sector and the daily lives of citizens.
