Leader: Deal possible if Iran’s nuclear industry remains intact
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said a deal with the West is possible if Iran’s nuclear infrastructure remained intact amid a stalemate in talks over the revival of a 2015 nuclear pact.
The Leader made the remarks in a meeting with a group of nuclear experts and officials in Tehran on Sunday
“You may want to reach agreements in some fields. Nothing is wrong with [reaching] agreements, but the infrastructure must remain intact. They must not be harmed. They are the fruit of others’ endeavors,” Ayatollah Khamenei added.
“We were dealt blows because of misplaced trust. It is very important that a nation and the officials of a country know and understand where they should trust and where not to trust. We have understood it over the past twenty years. We understood who is trustworthy and who is not,” the Leader said.
The West’s lies
The Leader also said the enemies use the claim that Iran is developing nuclear weapons as an excuse to target Iran, but the claim is no more than a lie and they are well aware of it.
“The enemies have created a nuclear challenge for us for twenty years because they know that the movement in the nuclear industry is the key to the country’s scientific progress,” the Leader said. “The excuse of nuclear weapons is a lie and they (the enemies) know it, too.”
“Based on our Islamic foundations, we do not want to go towards [nuclear] weapons. Otherwise, they (the enemies) would not have been able to stop it, as until now they could not stop our nuclear developments,” Ayatollah Khamenei stressed.
Iran showed to the world the peaceful nature of its nuclear program by signing the 2015 nuclear agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with six world states – namely, the U.S., Germany, France, Britain, Russia and China. But, Washington’s unilateral withdrawal in May 2018, and its subsequent re-imposition of sanctions against Tehran left the future of the deal in limbo.
Negotiations between the parties to the deal kicked off in Vienna in April 2021, with the intention of bringing the U.S. back into the deal and putting an end to its “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran.
The discussions, however, have been at a standstill since August 2022 due to Washington’s insistence on not lifting all of the anti-Iran sanctions and offering the necessary guarantees that it will not exit the agreement again.
Cooperation with IAEA
Ayatollah Khamenei said the country’s nuclear authorities should continue working with the UN nuclear watchdog “under the framework of safeguards”.
However, he called on Iranian authorities “not to yield to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) excessive and false demands,” adding that a law passed by Iran’s Parliament in 2020 had to be respected.
Under the law, Tehran would suspend IAEA inspections of its nuclear sites and step up uranium enrichment if sanctions are not lifted.
“This is a good law… which must be respected and not violated in providing access and information (to the IAEA),” Khamenei said.
Last month, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported limited progress over disputed issues with Iran.
Ayatollah Khamenei’s remarks came days after both Tehran and Washington denied a report that they were nearing an interim deal under which Tehran would curb its nuclear program in return for sanctions relief.
Importance of nuclear industry
Elsewhere in his remarks, the Leader described the nuclear industry as one of the most important components of the country’s power, credibility and strength, saying that the industry is the key to progress in many fields.
He further said that the industry improves people’s lives in the technical, economic and health sectors and adds weight to the country’s global and international political standing.
Ayatollah Khamenei said that the 20-year nuclear challenge demonstrated the extraordinary ability and talent of Iranian youths despite sanctions and threats against our scientists and the assassination of some of them.
The challenge also laid bare the inhumane, unfair and bullying logic of opponents, who have expectations from us beyond existing safeguards agreements, the Leader asserted.