NextFin news, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, publicly rejected direct negotiations with the United States regarding his country's nuclear program. His remarks, broadcast on Iranian state television, came as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attended the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where diplomatic efforts to avert renewed sanctions on Tehran were underway.
Khamenei described talks with the US as a "sheer dead end," accusing Washington of predetermining the outcome to be the closure of Iran's nuclear activities and uranium enrichment. He called such demands "not a negotiation but a diktat, an imposition." The Supreme Leader emphasized that Iran would not renounce its domestic uranium enrichment, which he said is vital for peaceful purposes including agriculture, industry, and power generation.
Separately, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with diplomats from France, Germany, and the United Kingdom in New York to discuss the looming reimposition of UN sanctions, scheduled to take effect on Sunday, September 28, 2025. These sanctions were triggered by the so-called "snapback" mechanism, initiated by the three European countries (E3) after determining Iran had failed to meet its obligations under the 2015 Vienna Nuclear Agreement.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul described the chances of reaching a diplomatic solution before the sanctions snapback as "extremely slim." He stated that Iran has disregarded its commitments for years and that the snapback mechanism was a necessary consequence. However, Wadephul added that the E3 would continue negotiations with Iran even after sanctions are reinstated.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi also engaged in talks with Iranian officials in New York, aiming to maintain cooperation on nuclear inspections despite the tense diplomatic environment. Earlier in July, Iran suspended all cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog following Israeli and US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites during a 12-day conflict in June.
Khamenei reiterated Iran's stance that its nuclear program is peaceful and that the country does not seek or plan to develop nuclear weapons. He condemned US and Israeli attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities but asserted that scientific knowledge gained over decades cannot be destroyed by threats or bombings.
The US, under President Donald Trump, withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal in 2018 and has since pushed for stricter measures against Iran's nuclear activities. Trump referenced a letter he sent to Khamenei offering cooperation in exchange for suspending Iran's nuclear program, which was rejected.
If no diplomatic agreement is reached by the end of the week, UN sanctions will automatically snap back on Sunday, September 28, 2025, freezing Iranian assets abroad, halting arms deals, and penalizing ballistic missile development, further impacting Iran's economy.
Sources: Associated Press reports from Vienna and New York; Iranian state television; statements from German Foreign Ministry; International Atomic Energy Agency.
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