Iran's Khamenei rejects U.S. negotiation pressure on nuclear deal

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Tehran will not be pressured into talks, rejecting U.S. efforts to negotiate a nuclear deal. His remarks came a day after Donald Trump revealed he had sent a letter seeking discussions.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dismissed calls for negotiations with the United States, saying Tehran would not accept what he described as "bullying" tactics. His comments came after former U.S. President Donald Trump told Fox Business that Iran could either negotiate or face military action to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Speaking to senior Iranian officials, Khamenei said Washington’s offer was not about resolving disputes but about exerting control. "The insistence of some bully governments on negotiations is not to resolve issues, but to dominate and impose their own expectations," he said, according to Iranian state media.

Trump, who withdrew the U.S. from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal during his first term, has reinstated the "maximum pressure" campaign, aiming to isolate Iran economically and cut its oil exports. The 2015 deal had placed strict limits on Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief, but after Trump’s withdrawal in 2018, Tehran expanded its nuclear activities beyond agreed limits.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog has warned that time is running out for diplomacy, as Iran continues to enrich uranium to near weapons-grade levels. Tehran insists its nuclear programme remains solely for peaceful purposes.

Copied