Khamenei says talks with US unlikely to 'lead to any outcome'

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said 'enrichment in Iran, however, will continue with or without a deal'.

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TEHRAN:

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Tuesday that nuclear talks with the United States were unlikely to yield any results.

"We don't think it will lead to any outcome. We don't know what will happen," said Khamenei during a speech, adding that denying Iran's right to enrich uranium was "a big mistake".

"The American side involved in these indirect negotiations should refrain from speaking nonsense," said Khamenei.

Earlier, Iran's Foreign Minister and lead negotiator Abbas Araghchi said "enrichment in Iran, however, will continue with or without a deal".

"If the US is interested in ensuring that Iran will not have nuclear weapons, a deal is within reach, and we are ready for a serious conversation to achieve a solution that will forever ensure that outcome," he said in a post on X.

Iranian diplomats have said Tehran would be open to temporary restrictions on how much uranium it enriches and to what level.

Araghchi on Tuesday criticised "positions from the United States that were inconsistent with any logic and reason".

Iran's top diplomat said these stances "have caused serious disruptions in the negotiation process." "As a result, no date has been set for the next round of talks, and the matter remains under review," he added.

On Sunday, Araghchi said Iran has been observing "dissonance ... between what our US interlocutors say in public and in private." On Friday, Iran held parallel talks with Britain, France and Germany -- all parties to the 2015 deal.