Iran’s Supreme Leader Stresses Preservation of Nuclear Infrastructure Amid Talks with the West
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11-06-2023 : Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, underlined the significance of maintaining Iran’s nuclear industry’s infrastructure amid talks about coming to an agreement with the West regarding Tehran’s contentious nuclear programme. Although he acknowledged that there was nothing fundamentally wrong with an agreement, he insisted that it was essential to safeguard the nation’s nuclear infrastructure. The comments, which were covered by state media, underscored Khamenei’s opinion that Tehran and the IAEA should continue cooperating within the parameters of safeguards.
Furthermore, Khamenei asserted that the West lacked the ability to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons if it chose to pursue such a program. He dismissed claims about Tehran’s nuclear weapons ambitions as lies, emphasizing that Iran’s religious beliefs prohibited the pursuit of nuclear arms. He suggested that if Iran had intended to acquire nuclear weapons, external forces would not have been able to impede its progress.
The backdrop of these discussions is the 2015 nuclear pact, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), from which the United States, under the leadership of then-President Donald Trump, withdrew in 2018. The Biden administration has since sought to revive the agreement, but negotiations have reached an impasse since September, with both sides accusing each other of making unreasonable demands. Recently, reports of an interim deal between Tehran and Washington, involving Iran scaling back its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief, were denied by both parties.
The position taken by Ayatollah Khamenei highlights how important it is for Iran to protect its nuclear infrastructure while holding talks with the West. The nation’s dedication to non-nuclear technology and refusal to develop nuclear weapons are a reflection of its religious convictions and desire to preserve its nuclear autonomy. As talks and negotiations between Iran and the international community progress, the situation keeps changing.
