Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Tuesday doubled down on a key sticking point in a diplomatic standoff with the United States, insisting again that Iran would not renounce domestic enrichment of uranium.
"Negotiating with the United States under the current conditions carries harms for Iran, some of which are irreparable, because the American side has predetermined the outcome of the negotiations, meaning they have stated they will only accept talks whose result is the shutdown of Iran’s nuclear activities and enrichment," he said.
"This is not negotiation, this is dictation," Khamenei declared in a speech hours after Trump had belittled him in a speech before the United Nations as Iran's "so-called" Supreme Leader.
Khamenei blasted Trump for calling on Iran to end domestic enrichment, saying, “it is clear that the Iranian people give a slap in the face to the person saying this and will not accept it.”