‘Bully’: Iran’s Khamenei rejects Trump demands for nuclear talks

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stated that the United States is not seeking negotiations with Iran, but rather imposing demands on it. This comes after U.S. President Donald Trump indicated he had sent a letter to Iranian leadership seeking dialogue on a nuclear agreement. Khamenei's remarks followed an interview Trump gave to Fox Business, in which Trump said there were two ways to deal with Iran: military means, or reaching a deal to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

During a meeting with senior Iranian officials, Khamenei dismissed the entire premise, accusing Washington of seeking even stricter limitations than in previous negotiations. "Some bullying governments insist on negotiations," he was quoted as saying by state media, "but their negotiation is not aimed at resolving the problem, but to dominate and impose their expectations." He added, "For them, negotiation is a means of putting forward new demands. The issue is not just the nuclear issue; they have new expectations that Iran will definitely not accept."

Khamenei further pointed out that the U.S. is demanding restrictions on Iran's defense capabilities and international influence, proposing various limitations such as "don't do this, don't meet that person, don't produce that item," or "your missile range should not exceed a certain limit." Since beginning his second term in January, Trump has expressed a willingness to reach a new agreement with Tehran, while simultaneously reinstating tough sanctions and vowing to reduce Tehran's oil exports to zero.

In 2018, Trump first implemented the so-called "maximum pressure" campaign against Tehran after withdrawing the U.S. from the landmark 2015 agreement between the U.S., Iran, and several Western powers. That agreement imposed strict limits on Tehran's nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief. Since the U.S. withdrawal, Iran has significantly exceeded the limitations on its nuclear program outlined in the original agreement. Subsequent efforts by the Biden administration and European leaders to revive the agreement have failed.

The United States imposed a new round of sanctions on Iran's oil industry on Thursday, a major source of revenue for Iran. The measures target companies, vessels, and individuals linked to entities already sanctioned by the U.S. Under Biden, the U.S. has frequently used such punitive measures to enforce existing sanctions. Meanwhile, Russia stated earlier this week that it is willing to help mediate new nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran, amid a possible broader thaw in relations between Washington and Moscow over the war in Ukraine.

Rafael Grossi, head of the UN nuclear watchdog, warned that time is running out to impose new limits on Iran's activities through diplomacy. The UN monitoring agency has stated that Tehran continues to accelerate the enrichment of uranium to near-weapons-grade levels. Iran has long maintained that its program is for peaceful purposes. However, with tensions running high due to U.S. sanctions and Israel's ongoing war in Gaza, Iranian officials have increasingly threatened to seek greater military capabilities. Both Israel and the U.S. have warned they will not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons, raising fears of a military confrontation as Tehran enriches uranium to near-weapons-grade levels.

U.S. intelligence agencies assess that Iran has not restarted a weapons program but has "conducted activities that would better position it to produce nuclear devices should it decide to do so."