Iran's supreme leader snubs US nuclear offer, vows enrichment will continue
DUBAI, June 4 — Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday a US proposal for a nuclear deal was against Tehran's national interests, and that the country would not abandon uranium enrichment.
The issue of uranium enrichment has been a sticking point in negotiations between the US and Iran. Uranium enrichment remained key to the Islamic Republic's nuclear programme, Khamenei said in a speech.
On Monday, an Iranian diplomat told Reuters Tehran was poised to reject a US proposal to end a decades-old nuclear dispute, dismissing it as a 'non-starter' that fails to soften Washington's stance on uranium enrichment or to address Tehran's interests.
Tehran says it wants to master nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and has long denied accusations by Western powers that it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons. — Reuters
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malay Mail
3 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Syria's interim president visits Daraa, first trip since Assad's ouster
DAMASCUS, June 7 — Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa yesterday visited the southern city of Daraa, the cradle of the country's uprising, for the first time since ousting longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad almost six months ago. State news agency SANA published footage showing a cheering crowd greeting Sharaa, who was seen waving and shaking hands with people during the visit, which came on the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. Sharaa and Interior Minister Anas Khattab visited Daraa's historic Omari mosque during the trip, the presidency said in a statement, releasing images of the visit showing the leader among the crowd. SANA also said he met with local civil and military officials, as well as a delegation from the Christian minority. Provincial governor Anwar al-Zoabi said in a statement that the visit was 'an important milestone in the course of national recovery'. In 2011, young boys who had scrawled graffiti against Assad were detained in Daraa, sparking nationwide protests. After the war erupted following the brutal repression of protests, rebels seized control of Daraa and hung on until 2018, when the city returned to Assad under a deal mediated by Russia that allowed former fighters to keep their light weapons. On December 6, as Sharaa's Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led a lightning offensive on Damascus from the country's northwest, a coalition of armed groups from Daraa province was formed to help oust Assad, who was toppled two days later. The province was plagued by unrest in recent years. — AFP
Free Malaysia Today
4 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Iran says Oman presented elements of a US nuclear deal
US President Donald Trump warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to take actions that could disrupt nuclear talks with Iran. (AP pic) CAIRO : Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araqchi said his Omani counterpart presented elements of a US proposal for a nuclear deal between Tehran and Washington during a short visit to Tehran on Saturday. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said today that US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff 'has sent a detailed and acceptable proposal to the Iranian regime, and it's in their best interest to accept it'. Araqchi said in a post on X that Iran 'will respond to the US proposal in line with the principles, national interests and rights of people of Iran'. His statement came ahead of an anticipated sixth round of talks between Washington and Tehran to resolve a decades-long dispute over Iran's nuclear programme. The date and venue of the talks have not been announced yet. 'President Trump has made it clear that Iran can never obtain a nuclear bomb,'' Leavitt said in a statement, confirming that the US proposal had been communicated to Iran. She declined to provide further details. Trump said on Friday that an Iran deal was possible in the 'not-too-distant future'. Earlier in the week, Trump told reporters he had recently warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to take actions that could disrupt nuclear talks with Iran. Those comments appeared to signal US concern that Israel might strike Iran's nuclear facilities while US diplomatic efforts were under way. Trump himself has repeatedly threatened to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities if diplomacy fails to achieve a deal. One of the main sticking points in the talks between US and Iranian officials has been US insistence that Iran give up its nuclear enrichment facilities, a demand Iran rejects. Trump, who has restored a 'maximum pressure' campaign on Tehran since February, ditched a 2015 nuclear pact between Iran and six world powers in 2018 during his first term and reimposed crippling sanctions on Iran. In the intervening years, Tehran has steadily overstepped the 2015 agreement's limits on its nuclear programme, designed to make it harder to develop an atomic bomb. Tehran denies it is seeking a nuclear weapon.
Free Malaysia Today
4 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
US targets Iran's shadow banking with new sanctions
US treasury secretary Scott Bessent called Iran's shadow banking system a 'critical lifeline'. WASHINGTON : The US issued Iran-related sanctions targeting more than 30 individuals and entities it said are part of a 'shadow banking' network that has laundered billions of dollars through the global financial system, the treasury department said on Friday. The sanctions, which target Iranian nationals and some entities in the UAE and Hong Kong, were announced as US President Donald Trump's administration is working to get a new nuclear deal with Tehran. Treasury said at least two of the companies were linked to Iran's national tanker company. 'Iran's shadow banking systems is a critical lifeline for the regime through which it accesses the proceeds from its oil sales, moves money, and funds its destabilising activities,' treasury secretary Scott Bessent said. The US believes the network helps Tehran fund its nuclear and missile programs and support its militant proxies throughout the Middle East. It was the first round of US sanctions targeting the shadow banking infrastructure since Trump re-imposed 'maximum pressure' on Iran in February, Treasury said. Talks between Iran and the US that aim to resolve a decades-long dispute over Tehran's nuclear ambitions have been stuck over disagreements about uranium enrichment. Treasury said the individuals and entities are tied to Iranian brothers Mansour, Nasser, and Fazlolah Zarringhalam, who collectively laundered billions of dollars through the international financial system. Treasury said the brothers operate exchange houses in Iran and a network of front companies in Hong Kong and the UAE, but did not say where they are located. Iran's mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Reuters was not able to locate the brothers for comment. Treasury said front companies in the network operate accounts in multiple currencies at various banks to facilitate payments for blocked Iranian entities selling Iranian oil. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control added Ace Petrochem, and Moderate General Trading LLC, both registered in the UAE, to its specially designated nationals list, freezing any of their US assets. OFAC said they are both linked to the state-owned National Iranian Tanker Company which is under US sanctions for exporting Iranian oil.
