Senior Iranian official said to reject US ultimatums on its nuclear and missile programs

A senior Iranian official reportedly says the Islamic Republic will not agree to US demands that it halt uranium enrichment on its soil or curb its ballistic missile program.

The US has said those two demands, along with the removal of the existing stockpile of enriched uranium and the cessation of Iran’s support for regional proxies, are what it expects Tehran to accept, indicating anything less will lead to an American strike.

Iran says it is open to negotiation with the US, but the senior Iranian official tells the Al-Monitor news site, “We do not want to enter into any kind of negotiation that is doomed to failure and can then be used as another pretext for another war.”

The official says that Tehran won’t accept American ultimatums regarding its nuclear and missile programs.

Tehran will not “negotiate anything related to our conventional arms, including missiles. This is something we cannot risk.”

As for the nuclear enrichment issue, the official says Tehran would “welcome negotiations that ensure Iran’s right to peaceful nuclear activity.”

If the US strikes, Iran will have “no option but to ensure that everything at its disposal can be used to push back,” the official says.