Ayatollah balks at Iran nuke deal language as deadline looms

Iran’s supreme leader is accusing the U.S. of “excessive coercion” just six days before a deadline for a final deal over his nation’s nuclear program.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei harshly criticized most of the potential accord’s language during an appearance on Iranian state TV Tuesday, according to The Huffington Post.

He said the U.S. and its allies — Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia — are making unrealistic demands during the ongoing talks.

{mosads}“We don’t accept 10-year restriction,” Khamenei said of proposed halts on Iran’s nuclear research and development programs.

“We have told the negotiating team how many specific years of restrictions are acceptable,” he added. “Research and development must continue during the years of restrictions.”

U.S.-led negotiators hope Iran will freeze or end its atomic weapons research in exchange for the easing of economic sanctions.

Khamenei argued on Tuesday night that Western powers were not interested in honoring their share of the potential bargain regarding the financial penalties.

“They want to keep up the pressure and are not after a complete lifting of sanctions,” he said, adding that America’s “goal is to uproot and destroy the country’s nuclear industry.”

Iran’s supreme leader also said it is unfair for his nation to escape sanctions only after it had gone through time-consuming inspections by the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

“Lifting sanctions can’t depend on implementation of Iran’s obligations,” Khamenei said.

He additionally rejected proposed inspections of Iran’s military sites and interviews with its scientists, The Huffington Post said.

It added that Iran’s parliament has already passed a bill that, if ratified, would ban access to military and scientific facilities and personnel.

The two sides are struggling for compromise before a self-imposed June 30 deadline for a final deal.

President Obama announced a “historic” potential bargain with Tehran during an address in the White House Rose Garden in April. He has long argued diplomacy is the best strategy for preventing a nuclear Iran.

Critics of the deal have countered that Khamenei’s regime has not honored similar arrangements over Iran’s nuclear program in the past.