DUBAI – On Wednesday, Iran’s supreme leader expressed disapproval of an initial offer from the United States concerning discussions about Tehran’s advancing nuclear capabilities. However, he did not completely dismiss the possibility of reaching an agreement with the U.S.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei described the U.S. proposal as “100% against the idea of ‘we can,’” borrowing from an Iranian government slogan.

He also insisted that Tehran needed to keep its ability to enrich uranium.

“Having 100 nuclear power plants is useless for us if we lack enrichment,” Khamenei stated. “Without enrichment, we would need to rely on the U.S., essentially begging for help.”

However, some nuclear power nations get uranium from outside suppliers.

Details of the American proposal remain unclear after five rounds of talks between Iran and the U.S.

An Axios report provided insights into the American proposal, which a U.S. official later confirmed. The proposal suggests a potential nuclear consortium involved in enriching uranium for Iran and other nearby countries. It is still uncertain if Iran would need to abandon its enrichment program entirely, as the report from Axios indicated that Iran might be allowed to enrich uranium up to 3% purity for a limited time.

Reaching a deal is one of the several diplomatic priorities being juggled by U.S. President Donald Trump and his trusted friend and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. An accord could see the United States lift some of its crushing economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for it drastically limiting or ending its enrichment of uranium.

But a failure to get a deal could see tensions further spike in a Middle East on edge over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

Iran’s economy, long ailing, could enter a free fall that could worsen the simmering unrest at home. Israel or the U.S. might carry out long-threatened airstrikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities. And Tehran may decide to fully end its cooperation with the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog and rush toward a bomb.