TEHRAN — Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Tuesday praised the unity and solidarity of the Iranian nation during the recent 12-day war, describing it as a “steel fist” against enemies and emphasizing that this cohesion disappointed Iran’s adversaries from the early days of the war.
In televised remarks, Ayatollah Khamenei addressed the Iranian people, stressing the importance of continued national unity and the significance of uranium enrichment technology for the country’s progress. 
He warned against negotiations with the United States that are pre-determined to fail.
“A negotiation that the U.S. dictates the outcome of from the start is useless and harmful because it encourages the tyrant enemy to impose further goals and does not protect us from any harm. No honorable nation or wise politician accepts such talks.”
Beginning his speech with greetings on the occasion of the new academic year, the Leader urged officials—especially those in education, science, and health sectors—to recognize and utilize the extraordinary talents of Iranian youth. 
He highlighted recent international successes, noting: “Our students won 40 colorful medals, including 11 gold medals, in global competitions over the past two months. Despite the 12-day war and its challenges, our students achieved the world’s top rank in astronomy and high placements in other fields.” 
He also praised young Iranian athletes for their recent triumphs in wrestling, volleyball, and other sports.
Marking the anniversary of the martyrdom of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Ayatollah Khamenei described him as “a great fighter and an immense asset for the Islamic world, Shi’ism, and Lebanon,” adding, “The legacy that Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah created, including Hezbollah, remains and should not be overlooked in Lebanon or beyond.”
Paying tribute to commanders, scientists, and other martyrs of the 12-day war, the Leader expressed his heartfelt condolences to their families. 
The Leader framed his address around three key themes: the critical role of national unity during the 12-day war and its ongoing importance, the benefits of uranium enrichment, and the firm, wise stance of the nation and government against U.S. threats.
On the first point, Ayatollah Khamenei stated that unity was the main reason for the enemy’s failure during the war. 
He explained that attempts to assassinate commanders and influential figures aimed to spark unrest and destabilize Tehran, but “if the enemy could have drawn the people into the streets against the Islamic Republic and disrupted the country’s affairs, it could have targeted the regime and sought to eradicate Islam here.” 
Nevertheless, “quick appointment of successors, the resilience and morale of the armed forces, and orderly governance” contributed to the enemy’s defeat, but “the nation was the most effective factor, and with unity and cohesion, absolutely did not fall under the enemy’s influence, filling the streets in defense of the Islamic Republic.”
He added that the enemy had questioned its own agents in Iran about their failure, to which they replied, “We tried, but the people turned their backs on us and the officials managed the affairs.”
Ayatollah Khamenei warned that “this decisive unity still remains and is very effective,” rejecting claims that national unity only existed during the war. 
“Some say political differences and ethnic fault lines can cause unrest, but this is completely false,” he said. “All ethnic groups are proud to be Iranian. We have natural political disagreements, but against tyrants, all people, today and tomorrow, strike the enemy’s head like a steel fist.”
Referring to the protests of June this year, he stated, “Those days, streets full of people shouting strong slogans against the cursed Zionists and criminal America showed national unity that still exists and will continue, and all are responsible to preserve and strengthen it.”
Addressing uranium enrichment, Ayatollah Khamenei stressed its critical importance to the country, urging experts to explain its benefits. 
He said, “Scientists and specialists enrich uranium extracted from our mines into highly valuable enriched uranium, which has numerous applications in agriculture, industry, environment, 
health, nutrition, research, and education.”
He noted the advantages of nuclear power as “much cheaper and environmentally friendly energy,” with long lifespans and multiple benefits, a reason why many developed countries rely on nuclear plants, while Iran’s power plants mainly use costly gasoline and gas.
The Leader recounted Iran’s nuclear journey: “We did not have this technology and our needs were unmet by others, but with the efforts of determined managers and senior officials, we began progress over 30 years ago, and now we are at an advanced level of enrichment.”
He clarified Iran’s position on enrichment levels: “Some countries aim for 90% enrichment to build nuclear weapons. We, however, do not have nuclear weapons and have chosen not to build or use them. We have raised enrichment to 60%, which is very good.”
Iran is now among “10 countries with uranium enrichment industries out of more than 200 globally,” Ayatollah Khamenei said, highlighting the importance of training skilled scientists and researchers. 
“Today, dozens of top scientists, hundreds of researchers, and thousands of trained personnel work in nuclear fields, yet the enemy thinks bombing some facilities or threatening attacks will destroy this technology in Iran.”
The Leader recalled decades of failed pressure from powerful countries to force Iran to abandon enrichment, affirming, “We did not and will not surrender, and we will not yield to pressure in any matter.”
He criticized U.S. demands shifting from limiting enrichment to forbidding it altogether.
“The U.S. side previously said do not have high enrichment and transfer enriched products abroad, now they insist on no enrichment at all. This means to destroy this great achievement made through constant investment and effort, but the proud Iranian nation rejects this and counters those who say it.”
Regarding negotiations with the U.S., Ayatollah Khamenei acknowledged differing views but urged careful reflection.
“In the current situation, negotiating with the U.S. is pointless; it does not benefit national interests, does not remove harm, and causes significant, sometimes irreparable, damage.”
He explained the U.S.’s predetermined goals: “They want negotiations where the result is the cessation of nuclear activities and enrichment in Iran. Sitting at such a table means accepting dictation, coercion, and the enemy’s will.” 
He added that U.S. officials recently even demanded Iran give up short- and medium-range missiles, effectively disarming the country.
“These demands stem from ignorance of the Iranian nation and Islamic Republic,” Ayatollah Khamenei said, adding in a local idiom, “Such words are bigger than the mouth of the speaker and not worthy of attention.”
He described accepting U.S. threats as a sign of weakness and surrender, which only emboldens further demands: “Today they say if you enrich uranium, we will do this or that; tomorrow, missile possession or foreign relations will be used to force Iran to retreat.”
“No honorable nation accepts negotiations accompanied by threats, and no wise politician endorses it,” he stressed.
Referring to the 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA), he called U.S. promises “lies” and recalled warning officials at the time: “Ten years is a long time, a whole lifetime—why accept it? They accepted it, but now, after 10 years, not only is our nuclear file not normalized, problems at the Security Council and IAEA have increased.”
He condemned the U.S. for breaking commitments, withdrawing from the deal, and “tearing up the agreement despite Iran’s fulfillment of obligations,” warning that negotiating with such a partner leads to national weakness and loss of dignity.
Ayatollah Khamenei stressed that while he is not currently considering talks with Europe, the U.S. has consistently broken promises, lied, threatened militarily, and assassinated Iranian figures like General Qassem Soleimani or bombed Iranian sites.
“Can we trust such a partner for negotiations?” he asked rhetorically, concluding: “Negotiations with the U.S. over the nuclear issue, and perhaps other issues, are a dead end.”
Though the current U.S. administration may find negotiations useful for display and forcing Iran to the table, Ayatollah Khamenei said, “For us, this negotiation is pure harm and has no benefit.”
The Leader underscored that the only path to progress is strengthening the country in all aspects: military, scientific, governmental, structural, and organizational. 
“Wise and devoted experts must find and pursue ways to strengthen the country because a strong nation will no longer face threats.”
He called for reliance on God and the Imams and for mobilizing national resolve, expressing confidence that “with God’s help, these efforts will succeed.”