KEY POINTS
- Khamenei says Tehran will not negotiate under US “bully” pressure
- Trump claims he sent a letter to Iran for nuclear negotiations
- Iran insists it has not received any communication from Trump
- Iran says no direct negotiations will take place as long as US sanctions remain
- US and Israel vow to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons
- UN stresses that diplomacy is the best way to resolve nuclear concerns.
TEHRAN: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Saturday that Tehran will not negotiate under pressure by a “bullying country”, a day after US President Donald Trump said he had sent a letter to the country’s top authority to negotiate a nuclear deal.
In an interview with Fox Business, Trump said “there are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily, or you make a deal” to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Speaking to senior Iranian officials during a meeting, Khamenei said the aim of Washington’s offer for negotiations was to “impose their own expectations”, Iranian state media reported.
“The insistence of some bully governments on negotiations is not to resolve issues, but to dominate and impose their own expectations.”
He further argued that engaging in talks under American pressure would be detrimental to Iran. “Talks for them is a path to have new expectations. It is not only about Iran’s nuclear issue. Iran will definitely not accept their expectations,” Khamenei added.
US push for nuclear talks
Trump said that he had reached out to Iran’s leadership in an attempt to restart diplomatic talks. He suggested there were two options: military action or negotiations to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
“I hope you’re going to negotiate, because if we have to go in militarily, it’s going to be a terrible thing,” Trump said.
He reiterated his preference for a peaceful solution but maintained that military intervention remained on the table should Tehran refuse to engage.
Despite Trump’s claims, Iran has denied receiving any communication from the former US president.
An Iranian embassy spokesperson confirmed to AFP on Friday that no such letter had been received by Tehran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also dismissed the possibility of negotiations while US sanctions remained in place.
“We will not enter any direct negotiations with the US so long as they continue their maximum pressure policy and their threats,” Araghchi told AFP in Jeddah.
US sanctions and Iran’s position
During his first term in office, Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, and reinstated sweeping sanctions against Tehran, particularly targeting its oil exports.
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The Biden administration had made efforts to revive elements of the agreement, but with Trump’s return to political prominence, Iran’s leadership appears increasingly reluctant to engage in fresh negotiations with Washington.
The Financial Times reported that Trump’s re-imposed sanctions form part of his “maximum pressure” strategy, aimed at isolating Iran from the global economy.
However, Tehran has repeatedly asserted that its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful purposes.
Concerns of military conflict
The diplomatic deadlock has heightened concerns of a potential military confrontation, with both the US and Israel reiterating that they will not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons.
International intelligence assessments suggest that while Iran has not formally initiated a nuclear weapons programme, its recent enrichment of uranium to near-weapons-grade levels has raised alarm among Western powers.
However, in his latest remarks, Khamenei described negotiations with Washington as “not intelligent, wise or honourable.”
Khamenei has previously refused to accept direct communication from Trump. In 2019, he rejected a letter delivered by the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Trump’s behalf, stating that he did not consider the US president “worthy of exchanging any messages with.”
UN calls for diplomacy
Amid the escalating tensions, the United Nations has welcomed efforts to re-establish diplomatic talks.
“As a matter of principle, we reaffirm that diplomacy remains the best way to ensure the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear programme,” UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said in a statement.
While the UN has expressed support for renewed dialogue, analysts suggest that a breakthrough remains unlikely unless the US eases its economic pressure on Tehran.
