The supreme leader of Iran expressed support Thursday for the recent extension of nuclear talks between his nation and six global powers.
In a speech posted to his personal website, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — who has veto power over any deal — gave his go-ahead for this week’s seven month extension. “I do not disagree with the extension of the negotiation, as I have not disagreed with negotiations in the first place,” he said, according to the New York Times.
A group of global powers called the P5+1, consisting of the U.N. Security Council — Russia, China, the United States, Great Britain and France — plus Germany, is negotiating over Iran’s nuclear program. Iran claims the program is for the peaceful generation of electricity, while the P5+1 insists Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons.
Iran wants a loosening of P5+1 sanctions, in addition to being allowed a higher number of centrifuges for uranium enrichment. Iran has refused to completely dismantle its nuclear weapons program.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cautioned earlier this week against making a deal with Iran.
“The key principle is this: Don’t dismantle sanctions before you dismantle Iran’s capacity to make a nuclear bomb. And as I understand it, the Iranians are nowhere near to accepting that. And, if for any reason the United States and the other powers agree to leave Iran with that capacity to break out, I think that would be an historic mistake,” he said.
The U.S. Congress has warned President Obama that it “will not be satisfied with a bad deal” with Iran, and a bipartisan group of lawmakers is crafting legislation that would have enough votes to override the president on sanctions.
“I’m going to be working as hard as I can to get a veto-proof majority in the Senate and the House,” Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ariz., told the Washington Examiner earlier this month. “I’m confident that we’re going to get there.”
