Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was quoted by the state media saying that as long as the country's nuclear infrastructure remained intact, reaching a deal with the West over Tehran's disputed nuclear work was a possibility.
"There is nothing wrong with the agreement (with the West), but the infrastructure of our nuclear industry should not be touched," he said, Reuters reported. He also said that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) or the UN watchdog and Tehran should continue working together under the framework of safeguards.
The leader on Sunday said the West couldn't stop Tehran from building nuclear weapons if it wanted to further its nuclear arms program.
“Talks about Tehran’s nuclear weapons is a lie and they (the West) know it. We do not want nuclear arms based on our religious beliefs. Otherwise, they would not have been able to stop it,” Khamenei said.
In 2018, the-then US president Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear pact or the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). There have been efforts under the Biden administration to revive the pact, but, talks have been at a stalemate since September, with both sides accusing the other of making unreasonable demands. Recently, Tehran and Washington denied reports that they had reached an interim deal where Iran would curb its nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief.
