Supreme Leader Khamenei reacts following the US president’s claim of sending a letter to Tehran to initiate new discussions.
According to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the United States is not aiming for negotiations but is rather imposing demands. This statement comes after US President Donald Trump claimed earlier this week that he had reached out to Iran’s leadership in an effort to commence discussions on a nuclear agreement.
Khamenei’s remarks on Saturday followed Trump’s interview with Fox Business, where he suggested that “there are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily, or you make a deal” to avert Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. Iranian officials reiterated on Saturday that they had not yet received any correspondence from Trump.
In a meeting with senior Iranian officials, Khamenei dismissed the idea of negotiations, accusing Washington of wanting even more stringent restrictions than those considered in previous discussions.
“Some bullying governments insist on negotiations,” he said, as reported by state media. “However, their negotiations do not aim to resolve issues but to dominate and impose their own expectations.”
“For them, negotiation serves as a tool to introduce new demands. The discussion extends beyond nuclear matters; they present new expectations that Iran will certainly reject,” Khamenei emphasized.
“They demand limitations on the country’s defensive capabilities and international influence, asserting: ‘don’t engage with this person, don’t produce that item,’ or ‘your missile range should not surpass a certain threshold,’” he added.
‘Maximum Pressure’
Since beginning his second term in January, Trump has shown openness towards a new agreement with Tehran, while concurrently reinstating a stringent sanctions regime aimed at driving Tehran’s oil exports to zero.
In 2018, Trump initiated the so-called “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran following the US withdrawal from a pivotal 2015 agreement involving Iran and multiple Western countries. This agreement had imposed strict limitations on Tehran’s nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions alleviation.
Since exiting the deal, Iran has significantly exceeded the nuclear programme limits established in the original agreement. Efforts made by President Joe Biden’s administration and European leaders to bring the agreement back on track have yielded no results.
On Thursday, the US introduced a fresh round of sanctions targeting Iran’s oil sector, which is the nation’s primary source of income. These sanctions affected firms, ships, and individuals connected to entities already sanctioned by the US. Under Biden’s administration, such penalties have become routine in enforcing pre-existing sanctions.
During a speech last August, Khamenei had indicated a willingness for new discussions with the US, stating that there is “no harm” in engaging with the “enemy.”
This statement followed the election of reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian in June, who campaigned on a promise to negotiate a new agreement with world powers, akin to the 2015 accord from which Trump had withdrawn in 2018.
Meanwhile, Russia announced earlier this week its readiness to assist in mediating new nuclear discussions between the US and Iran, amid a potential thaw in relations between Washington and Moscow concerning the war in Ukraine.
UN Watchdog Warns Time is Running Out
This latest exchange occurs while UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi warns that time is running short for diplomacy to impose new restrictions on Iran’s activities.
According to the UN monitor, Tehran continues to ramp up its uranium enrichment towards near weapons-grade levels.
Iran has consistently asserted that its nuclear programme is intended for peaceful purposes. However, Iranian officials have increasingly hinted at pursuing enhanced military capabilities, given the heightened tensions over US sanctions and Israel’s ongoing conflict in Gaza, which currently remains in a precarious ceasefire.
Both Israel and the US have issued warnings that they will not permit Iran to obtain nuclear weapons, raising concerns over a possible military confrontation as Tehran enriches uranium at near-weapons-grade levels.
US intelligence agencies have assessed that while Iran has yet to initiate a weapons programme, it has “undertaken activities that better position it to produce a nuclear device, should it choose to do so.”
