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The regime’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei declared on September 23, 2025, that Iran will press ahead with uranium enrichment to 60 percent and will not negotiate with the United States, dismissing talks as “pure loss” and warning that concessions under threat would “destroy the dignity of the Iranian nation.” His nationally televised remarks came just days before the deadline for the automatic reimposition of United Nations sanctions through the “snapback” mechanism.
Defiance on Enrichment
Khamenei insisted the Islamic Republic has no intention of building a nuclear weapon but described enrichment to 60 percent as “necessary for domestic needs.” He said: “We have no need for a bomb, but enrichment to 60 percent is necessary. We are among ten countries with this capability.”
The claim stands at odds with international assessments. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that Iran has stockpiled around 440 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent—material that, if further refined, could yield several nuclear weapons. Western governments argue that such levels have no clear civilian use.
Khamenei framed the program as a matter of sovereignty and defiance. “The Iranian people will slap in the mouth anyone who says stop enrichment,” he said, adding that knowledge “cannot be bombed away,” even after recent U.S. and Israeli strikes that targeted enrichment facilities during the “12-day war.”
#Iran's Economic Strain and Unrest Fears Drive Khamenei’s Push for Narrative Controlhttps://t.co/F51d8EVrf4
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) September 8, 2025
Rejection of Negotiations
Much of Khamenei’s speech was devoted to denouncing the idea of talks with Washington. He characterized negotiations as a trap in which the United States dictates outcomes in advance: dismantling enrichment, abandoning missiles, and severing foreign ties.
“Negotiation with America is pure loss and brings irreparable damage,” he said. “No honorable nation negotiates under threat. Accepting such talks would mean endless concessions.”
He mocked those inside Iran who advocate engagement. “This is bigger than the mouth of the one who utters it,” he said, using a colloquial expression to deride calls for halting enrichment.
The remarks appeared aimed at closing the door on suggestions that the regime’s president Masoud Pezeshkian could meet Donald Trump at the UN General Assembly in New York this week.
Khamenei’s Weak Position Exposed as #Iran's Rival Factions Escalate Infightinghttps://t.co/Z7U9xguQdl
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) September 4, 2025
Snapback Sanctions Loom
Khamenei’s defiance comes as the deadline approaches for the reimposition of UN sanctions under Resolution 2231. On September 19, the Security Council failed to extend sanctions relief, triggering the mechanism that will automatically restore previous measures at the end of September.
The return of sanctions has already rattled markets inside Iran. The rial has fallen against foreign currencies, and inflation is accelerating, adding to pressure on households. Officials have acknowledged the strain: economists in Tehran warn that oil exports will face greater obstacles, with China demanding deeper discounts on Iranian crude.
#Khamenei Rejects U.S. Talks, Backs Pezeshkian as Regime Faces Deepening Splitshttps://t.co/ZhUHUfNCG6
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) August 24, 2025
The Strategic Deadlock
While projecting strength abroad, Khamenei’s messaging reveals a deeper concern about the regime’s internal stability. For him, the greatest risk is not foreign intervention but domestic erosion.
The logic is clear: concessions to Washington would be seen as surrender, weakening the loyalty of the security and intelligence apparatus on which the system depends. That erosion, in turn, could embolden a society already marked by periodic unrest and rising economic hardship. Defiance, however costly internationally, preserves cohesion at home, he believes.
This calculation explains why, even after devastating strikes on nuclear facilities and looming sanctions, Khamenei frames talks as “irreparable damage” rather than relief. To admit weakness, in his view, would erode his base from within.
#Iran’s Cairo Agreement Triggers Factional Warfare and Exposes Khamenei’s Weakening Grip https://t.co/E69azy8DfH
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) September 17, 2025
Khamenei’s televised speech underscored the direction of policy as the snapback deadline nears: continued enrichment to 60 percent, rejection of U.S. talks, and defiance framed as national dignity. Yet the message also revealed the regime’s deeper anxiety—that concessions would unravel its base and expose it to a restive society more dangerous than any foreign adversary.