Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday dismissed the prospect of resolving tensions with the United States, vowing that Tehran would never bow to American pressure, even as nuclear talks with European powers are set to resume.

“They want Iran to be obedient to America,” Khamenei said in remarks carried by state media. “The Iranian nation will stand with all of its power against those who have such erroneous expectations. This issue is unsolvable.”

His comments come two months after Iran and Israel fought a bruising 12-day air war that killed dozens in Israel and left thousands wounded. The conflict erupted after Israel launched sweeping strikes on Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure, which Tehran answered with more than 500 ballistic missiles and some 1,100 armed drones.

Khamenei’s declaration comes as France, Britain, and Germany prepare to reengage Tehran in talks aimed at reviving restrictions on its uranium enrichment program. Western powers have warned that unless Iran makes concessions, they could reimpose United Nations sanctions under the 2015 nuclear deal’s “snapback” mechanism.

Some Iranian officials are signaling openness to compromise. Reformist factions, led by Supreme National Security Council chief Ali Larijani and backed by President Masoud Pezeshkian, are reportedly pushing to cap enrichment at 20 percent — far below weapons-grade levels but still well above the limits in the 2015 accord. The initiative has drawn sharp resistance from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and hardliners who accuse Larijani of appeasing the West.

“Larijani is trying to convince the system to reduce enrichment to avoid another war,” a senior Iranian official told The Telegraph. “He’s concerned that without lowering it or meeting some of the West’s demands, the system will face another major challenge.”

Even as nuclear debate rages in Tehran, Iranian officials are threatening fresh conflict with Israel. Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh boasted last week that Iran had developed missiles “with far greater capabilities” than those fired during June’s war, warning: “If the Zionist enemy embarks on the adventure again, we will undoubtedly use them.”

Senior IRGC adviser Yahya Rahim Safavi went further, telling Iranian media, “We are not in a ceasefire, we are in a stage of war. I think another war may happen, and after that, there may be no more wars.”

Nasirzadeh also claimed Iran has established weapons-manufacturing infrastructure in “several countries,” fueling fears of expanding proxy conflicts across the Middle East.

On Saturday, Iranian state media reported that security forces killed six militants in the country’s southeast, accusing them of links to Israel.

Although Tehran insists it does not seek nuclear weapons, it continues to enrich uranium to levels without clear civilian use, restricts international inspections, and advances ballistic missile capabilities — actions Israel and Western intelligence agencies say point to weaponization efforts.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)