Iran’s supreme leader has criticized an initial proposal from the United States in negotiations over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program, though he stopped short of entirely rejecting the idea of agreement with Washington.

Iran's stance directly clashes with U.S. President Donald Trump 's position that Iran must halt all enrichment amid negotiations marked by uncertainty, despite having reached their most significant step since they began in April with a U.S. offer being delivered to Tehran last week.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday slammed a preliminary proposal from the United States in talks about Tehran’s nuclear program. However, he did not completely dismiss the possibility of reaching an agreement with Washington.