Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday rejected holding negotiations with the United States over a nuclear deal, as a letter was delivered from U.S. President Donald Trump calling for such talks.
Last week, Trump said he had sent the letter to Khamenei proposing nuclear talks, but also warned that "there are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily, or you make a deal".
The letter was handed over to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi on Wednesday by Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the president of the United Arab Emirates.
While Araqchi and Gargash were meeting, Khamenei told a group of university students that Trump's offer for talks was "a deception", state media reported.
"When we know they won't honor it, what's the point of negotiating? Therefore, the invitation to negotiate ... is a deception of public opinion," Khamenei was quoted as saying by state media. Khamenei said he had not yet seen the letter.
Khamenei said negotiating with the Trump administration, which he said had excessive demands, "will tighten the knot of sanctions and increase pressure on Iran".
In 2018, Trump withdrew the U.S. from Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and reimposed sanctions that have crippled Iran's economy. Tehran reacted a year later by violating the deal's nuclear curbs.
Khamenei, who has the final word in Iranian state matters, said last week that Tehran would not be bullied into talks under threats.
While leaving the door open for a nuclear pact with Tehran, Trump has reinstated the "maximum pressure" campaign he applied in his first term as president to isolate Iran from the global economy and drive its oil exports towards zero.
The UAE, one of Washington's key Middle East security partners and host to U.S. troops, also maintains warm ties with Tehran. Despite past tensions, business and trade links between the two countries have remained strong, and Dubai has served as a key commercial hub for Iran for more than a century.
MILITARY THREATS
Iran has long denied wanting to develop a nuclear weapon.
"If we wanted to build nuclear weapons, the U.S. would not be able to stop it. We ourselves do not want it," Khamenei said.
However, Iran's stock of uranium enriched to up to 60% purity, close to the roughly 90% weapons-grade level, has jumped, the International Atomic Energy Agency said late last month.
Iran's arch-foe Israel has threatened to attack Iranian nuclear sites if diplomacy fails to contain Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last month after meeting U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Israel and the United States were determined to thwart Iran's nuclear ambitions and its influence in the Middle East.
Khamenei warned on Wednesday against any military strike on Iran.
"Iran is not seeking war, but if the Americans or their agents take a wrong step, our response will be decisive and certain, and the one who will suffer the most harm is America," he said.
While Tehran has vowed to retaliate against any military aggression, some Western diplomats argue that the country would face significant challenges.
Last year, Israel struck Iranian facilities including missile factories and air defenses in retaliation for Iranian missile and drone attacks.
That reduced Tehran's conventional military capabilities, according to analysts and U.S. officials, an assessment disputed by Tehran.
© Thomson Reuters 2025.
13 Comments
Login to comment
lincolnman
Why "spurn" your fellow new "Axis of Evil" partner?
Trump, Putin, Xi, and The Mullahs - the Four Horsemen of Tyranny....
WoodyLee
Pres. Trump should be talking to Fugitive Bibi and his war mongers FIRST about his stock piles of NUKES then probably Iran will disarm on it's own!! No Need To Talk or make deals.
This imbalance of power is emboldening Bibi and promoting his aggression against all of Israel's neighbors.
HopeSpringsEternal
Let's hope they quickly and quietly figure out some effective back-channel to negotiate, so Iran can 'save-face' and world can avoid another terrible war.
GuruMick
Hope...what's to negotiate ? Allowing Israel to continue to be the US attack dog in the ME. ?
Israel breaching UN resolutions daily, attacking neighbouring countries and refusing to leave areas taken militarily, the latest being Syria.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Iran is nowhere near Israel and with no nuke program or support of terrorism, Iran would have nothing to worry about.
GuruMick
Taiwan ...Israel worries about everything it seems.
Times of Israel today has a report that the Govt. is setting up ...another..?..."war room " to combat what it sees is anti Israel bias in media and social media platforms. Probably see some new names on this forum.
The "only democracy in the ME " sure has a hard time living with any criticism.
If you are in a hole, stop digging, would be my advice.
Lots of average Israelis not happy with Israels current state as well.
A bookshop selling...BOOKS !!!!....has been raided twice by Police and the owner detained for hours...this in Tel Aviv.
Fos
Talking about history books, as opposed to US military dispatches.
Mossadegh, Iran's prime minister, was overthrown in a 1953 CIA-backed coup known as Operation Ajax. His government had nationalized Iran's oil industry, angering both the British and the U.S. After his removal, the Shah was restored to power, marking the beginning of an authoritarian regime until the 1979 Revolution.
To put it with the Political Analyst and Columbia University Professor Jeffrey Sachs: ‘The United States are the most lawless and dangerous country in the world by far’
TaiwanIsNotChina
The astute reader will note that that is 72 years ago now. Time for Iran to put on some big boy pants.
GuruMick
Iran doing fine ....the political class on the nose...just like many other nations...but everyday Iranians seem OK
When Obama and others lifted sanctions, hundreds of thousands of westerners visited as tourists.
Outside threats will maintain the status quo and not serve the interests of anyone.
GuruMick
BTW quite a large Jewish population in Iran and they seem in no hurry to migrate to Israel.
Paul Novax
Just handle Iran militarily. They'll faster that way.
GuruMick
Novax...yep "military intervention " worked so well in Iraq, Libya , and many other ME nations .
PS I think you are missing a verb in your second sentence.
Handle it grammatically
GuruMick
Plus Iran currently doing naval exercises with China and Russia...yep...military intervention looks "sorted "