Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared on Saturday that Tehran will not engage in negotiations under external pressure, referring to certain governments as “bullies.” His statement followed remarks by US President Donald Trump, who suggested that Iran could either be handled militarily or through a nuclear agreement.
Speaking in an interview, Trump revealed that he had sent a letter to Iran’s leadership proposing talks on a nuclear deal. However, Khamenei dismissed the offer, stating that Washington’s approach to negotiations was merely a means to impose its own demands.
“The insistence of some aggressive governments on negotiations is not aimed at solving issues but at enforcing their own expectations,” Khamenei stated. “For them, negotiations are a tool to push new demands, not just related to Iran’s nuclear program. Iran will not yield to such pressure.”
Despite indicating a willingness to strike a deal with Tehran, the US administration has reinstated the “maximum pressure” strategy, which was first implemented to isolate Iran economically and cut off its oil exports.
During his previous term in office from 2017 to 2021, Trump withdrew from a landmark nuclear agreement that had restricted Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief. Following Washington’s exit from the pact in 2018, Iran began exceeding the agreed limits on its nuclear program.
The head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, has warned that time is running out to revive diplomacy and impose new restrictions, as Iran continues enriching uranium close to weapons-grade levels. Tehran, however, maintains that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes.
