Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dismissed U.S. demands that Iran completely cease uranium enrichment as “utter nonsense” on Tuesday, casting doubt on the potential success of future nuclear discussions.

He stated, “For the Americans to say, ‘We won’t allow Iran to enrich uranium,’ is utter nonsense. We aren’t waiting for anyone’s permission.”

He further commented, “The Islamic Republic has certain policies, and it will pursue them,” without elaborating on the specifics of these policies.

Iran has faced international pressure in recent years to suspend its nuclear program, fueled by concerns that Tehran is secretly developing nuclear weapons.

While Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons, it has increased its uranium enrichment activities and strengthened its missile program, actions experts believe are crucial for delivering a nuclear warhead.

Uranium enrichment is used for both civil nuclear power, with many nations relying on nuclear energy, including the U.S., where it accounts for almost 20% of energy needs and is the largest source of clean energy, but Iran’s reliance on nuclear energy was minimal in 2022, as reported by the International Energy Agency.

The White House has yet to respond to inquiries about whether it has specifically demanded that Iran halt uranium enrichment.

Khamenei implied that the Trump administration’s efforts to negotiate Iran’s nuclear program were unsuccessful.

“Indirect negotiations took place during President Raisi’s term, similar to the current situation. It goes without saying that there was no outcome,” he said, referring to negotiation attempts under the Biden administration. “We don’t anticipate these negotiations will be fruitful now either. We are uncertain about the future.”

Reports indicated that nuclear talks might be held in Rome this weekend, but Khamenei, along with Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, stated that Iran had not yet consented to the talks due to recent U.S. demands.

“A date has been proposed, but we have not yet accepted it,” Araqchi told reporters on Tuesday, according to a Reuters report. “We are observing stances from the U.S. that lack logic and are complicating the negotiations.”

“Therefore, we have not scheduled the next round of talks, we are evaluating the situation and hope that reason will prevail,” Araqchi added.