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Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has firmly rejected calls for negotiations with the United States, stating that such talks would serve only to impose restrictions on Iran’s missile capabilities and regional influence.
Trump’s Letter Seeking a New Deal
Speaking to a gathering of officials on Saturday, Khamenei refrained from directly naming the U.S. but alluded to a “bullying government” that persistently pushes for dialogue.
“Their talks are not aimed at solving problems. It is a strategy to impose their will on the other party sitting across the table,” Khamenei said.
Khamenei’s remarks came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed sending a letter to the Iranian leader, seeking a new agreement to curb Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program. Trump’s move aimed to replace the 2015 nuclear deal, which he withdrew from during his first term in office.
Despite Trump’s confirmation, Iran stated that it had not yet received the letter. “We have heard of it (the letter), but we haven’t received anything,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on state television, as reported by AFP.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Shows Concern
Khamenei emphasized that the U.S. seeks to curtail Iran’s military capabilities and regional alliances.
“They will demand limits on our defense capabilities, our international influence. They will tell us what we can and cannot do, whom we can and cannot meet, and where we can and cannot go. They will insist that our missile range must not exceed a certain limit. Can anyone accept such conditions?” he asked.
The Supreme Leader, who holds the ultimate authority over state affairs, asserted that negotiations under such terms would not resolve issues between Iran and the West. Instead, he suggested that the calls for talks were meant to pressure Iran in global public opinion.
“This is not negotiation. This is coercion and imposition,” Khamenei said.
Trump’s Implicit Warning of Military Action
While Trump did not explicitly reference the letter during comments to reporters in the Oval Office on Friday, he hinted at possible military action.
“We have a situation with Iran that—something’s going to happen very soon. Very, very soon,” Trump stated, without providing further details.
His remarks come as both the U.S. and Israel have reiterated their commitment to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Concerns over a potential military confrontation have escalated, especially as Tehran continues to enrich uranium to near weapons-grade levels—a threshold reached only by nations possessing atomic weapons.
Iran, however, maintains that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes. Despite this, tensions remain high, exacerbated by ongoing U.S. sanctions targeting Iranian oil sales under Trump’s “maximum pressure” policy and the fragile ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Shifting Stance on Talks
In August, Khamenei had suggested that engaging with adversaries was not necessarily harmful, indicating a potential openness to negotiations. However, his recent statements reflect a shift in tone, as he dismissed talks with the U.S. as neither “intelligent, wise, nor honorable.”
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