Iran is open to having a regional uranium enrichment consortium as part of a proposed deal with the United States so long as the association remains with its borders, Axios reported.

"If the consortium operates within the territory of Iran, it may warrant consideration. However, should it be based outside the borders of the country, it is certainly doomed to fail," a senior Iranian official told the outlet.

Since early April, the United States and Iran have engaged in talks with the primary goal of the Trump administration being to avoid igniting a larger conflict and forcing Iran to give up its nuclear ambitions. Iran has stressed its right to be energy-independent, but the U.S. sees the country's rapid production of weapons-grade uranium as a clear indication its goals are far from peaceful.

Under the latest proposal, the U.S. would oversee the building of nuclear reactors and the construction of enrichment facilities managed by the consortium. The U.S., Iran, and countries like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and possibly Turkey would make up the association.

President Donald Trump and Middle East special envoy Steven Witkoff see a nuclear deal with Iran as a key element in solving the wider Middle East conflict. With Iran's economy floundering as a result of lingering international sanctions, key industries are struggling and eroding the public's trust in leadership.

The Trump administration is bettting that internal pressures will force Tehran's hand to accept a deal and avoid any military options.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday that Tehran will not abandon its uranium enrichment.

"The U.S. nuclear proposal contradicts our nation's belief in self-reliance and the principle of 'We Can,'" Khamenei said. "Independence means not waiting for the green light from America and the likes of America," he said, adding that the U.S. proposal was "100% against" the ideals of the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Khamenei's address came during a commemoration of the death of the Islamic Republic's founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in 1989.

• Iran's Khamenei Dismisses US Nuclear Proposal, Vows to Keep Enriching Uranium
• Report: Next US-Iran Nuclear Talk May Occur This Weekend