DUBAI, June 4 — Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday a US proposal for a nuclear deal was against Tehran’s national interests, and that the country would not abandon uranium enrichment.

The issue of uranium enrichment has been a sticking point in negotiations between the US and Iran. Uranium enrichment remained key to the Islamic Republic’s nuclear programme, Khamenei said in a speech.

On Monday, an Iranian diplomat told Reuters Tehran was poised to reject a US proposal to end a decades-old nuclear dispute, dismissing it as a "non-starter” that fails to soften Washington’s stance on uranium enrichment or to address Tehran’s interests.

Tehran says it wants to master nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and has long denied accusations by Western powers that it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons. — Reuters