Iran rejects calls for negotiations by ‘bullying’ powers

IRNA – Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says that calls for negotiations by “bullying” powers are not aimed at resolving issues; rather, they are an attempt to impose their demands on the Islamic Republic.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran will certainly not accept their expectations,” Ayatollah Khamenei said during a meeting with heads of the three branches of government and other senior civil and military officials in Tehran on Saturday.

U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on Friday that he had sent a letter to Ayatollah Khamenei, asking that negotiations be reopened.

Trump has been signaling a willingness to negotiate with Iran to “make a deal” since he took office for a second term in January. However, on February 5, he signed a presidential memorandum to restore a campaign of “maximum pressure” on Iran that he had launched in his first term. 

During his first term, Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from a multilateral nuclear deal with Iran, signed by his predecessor, Barack Obama, in 2015, and re-imposed tough economic sanctions on the country, which the accord had lifted.

Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized that the bullying powers do not seek to negotiate solely on the nuclear issue. He said that, for them, negotiations serve as a pathway to impose new expectations, particularly regarding Iran’s defense capabilities and international standing.

“They aim to create doubt in the public’s mind about why, despite their expressed readiness for talks, we are unwilling to negotiate,” he said. “However, their true goal is not negotiation but rather dominance and imposition.”

Ayatollah Khamenei also criticized the European parties to the nuclear deal for accusing Iran of not living up to its commitments under the agreement, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). 

“You say Iran has not fulfilled its nuclear commitments. Well, did you fulfill yours?” the Leader said.

Following the U.S.’s exit from the JPCOA in 2018, the European signatories--Britain, France, and Germany— urged Tehran to stick to its contractual obligations, promising to compensate for any economic harm incurred. Iran waited for an entire year before it began rolling back its nuclear commitments after the Europeans failed to deliver on that promise.

On Saturday, Ayatollah Khamenei opened his remarks by paying tribute to former President Ebrahim Raisi, who lost his life in a tragic helicopter accident on May 19, 2024.

The Leader then thanked President Pezeshkian for his “motivation” to get things done. “It is very valuable, this motivation and this feeling that, ‘We can, and we will definitely do it.’”

Before Ayatollah Khamenei delivered his remarks, President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed the attendees. 

The Ramadan meeting with officials is one of the most significant annual meetings by Ayatollah Khamenei, during which he elaborates on key issues and outlines the general policies of the Islamic Republic.