Iranian leaders on Tuesday voiced sharp opposition to a newly proposed nuclear framework by US President Donald Trump, rejecting key components of the plan and restating their position against entering direct negotiations with Washington.
Senior Iranian officials said Tuesday that the American proposal, which they allege seeks to dismantle Iran’s nuclear capabilities and suppress its missile development and regional influence, crosses red lines previously agreed upon in indirect discussions.
“Trump wants a new deal: End Iran’s regional influence, dismantle its nuclear program and halt its missile work. These are unacceptable to Tehran,” a senior Iranian official told Reuters, adding, “Our nuclear program cannot be dismantled.”
Tehran maintains that its nuclear development is peaceful, though Western powers and Israel continue to express concern about the pace and direction of Iran's enrichment activities. The International Atomic Energy Agency recently reported that Iranian uranium stockpiles were nearing weapons-grade levels.
A separate Iranian source underscored the regime’s continued investment in its missile arsenal, asserting that such deterrence is necessary in the face of potential threats from Israel and other adversaries.
The comments come a day after Trump announced during a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, "We are having direct talks with Iran. On Saturday we will have a very big meeting and we will see what can happen. I think everybody agrees that a deal would be preferable to doing the obvious, and the obvious is not something that I want to be involved with, or frankly that anyone here wants to be involved with."
He noted that the situation is "getting to be very dangerous territory. Hopefully, those talks will be successful, and I think it would be in Iran's best interests if they are."
Despite Trump’s claims that the talks would be direct, Iranian officials said the encounter would involve indirect engagement rather than face-to-face talks.
Iran recently rejected Trump’s offer for direct talks, as outlined in a letter sent by the President to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
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