The United States is not seeking negotiations with Iran but rather imposing demands on it, the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said, after US President Donald Trump said earlier this week he had sent a letter to the Iranian leadership seeking to initiate talks on a nuclear deal, reports Al Jazeera.
Khamenei’s comments on Saturday came after Trump said in an interview with Fox Business that “there are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily, or you make a deal” to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Officials in Tehran reiterated on Saturday they had not yet received a letter from Trump.
But speaking during a meeting with senior Iranian officials, Khamenei dismissed the entire premise, accusing Washington of seeking even greater restrictions than in previous negotiations.
“Some bully governments insist on negotiations,” he said, according to state media. “But their negotiations are not aimed at solving issues, but to dominate and impose their own expectations.”
“For them, negotiation is a means to introduce new demands. The issue is not just about nuclear matters, they raise new expectations that Iran will certainly not accept,” Khamenei added.
“They demand restrictions on the country’s defensive capabilities and international influence, saying: ‘don’t do this, don’t meet that person, don’t produce that item’ or ‘your missile range should not exceed a certain limit,'” he said.
Since taking office for his second term in January, Trump has expressed an openness to a new deal with Tehran, but has reinstated an aggressive sanctions campaign and has promised to drive Tehran’s oil exports to zero.
Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan
