In his most detailed speech regarding the final nuclear agreement, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei discussed the need for sanctions removal, rather than suspension. “If the framework of sanctions is to be preserved, then why did we negotiate?” asked Khamenei during his meeting with the Assembly of Experts. He said if sanctions are not removed, “It is completely opposed to the reason the Islamic Republic has a presence in the negotiations because the goal of the negotiations was to remove the sanctions.” The meeting took place after former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili and current negotiator Abbas Araghchi testified before the Assembly of Experts.

Khamenei said, “If on certain matters we compromised and gave concessions on certain issues, it was primarily to remove sanctions. Otherwise what need was there to negotiate? We would have continued our work and the 19,000 centrifuges that we have. In a short time we could have reached 50,000 or 60,000 centrifuges, and continue 20% enrichment and speed up development and research.”

Khamenei added, “If the sanctions are not to be removed, then there was to be no deal; therefore, the obligation of this matter needs to be clarified.” He added, “This was our issue from the beginning; we stressed that the sanctions must be removed, not suspended.”

On his personal views versus what the Iranian negotiators were able to achieve in the nuclear talks, Khamenei said, “Our view was the immediate removal of sanctions, but friends here defined it in another way and we did not oppose. But the sanctions must be removed.” On the nuclear facilities and components that are to be dismantled or removed in Iran, Khamenei said, “If the sanctions are to be suspended, then the actions we are to take will be at the level of suspension, not structural actions on the ground.”