Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei condemned on Saturday what he called “bullying tactics” a day following US President Donald Trump threatening military action in case Iran did not enter into nuclear talks.
Khamenei Rejects US Negotiation Efforts
Khamenei brushed aside the US call for talks, saying Washington’s intention is to undermine Iran’s missile defense and regional power. “Some bully governments – I really don’t know of any more appropriate term for some foreign figures and leaders than the word bullying – insist on negotiations,” Khamenei informed officials.
His comments came a day after Trump had said that military action was possible if Iran would not negotiate its nuclear program. Trump announced that he had written a letter to Khamenei calling for fresh talks.
“They are setting new expectations that they think will definitely not be met by Iran,” Khamenei said, adding that such talks were designed to exert pressure on Iran rather than seek a genuine resolution. “It is not negotiation. It is commanding and imposing.”
US Pressures Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Tehran has always insisted that its nuclear activities are for peaceful uses. But rising tensions with Washington and Israel have raised alarm over Iran’s uranium enrichment process. The nation’s stepped-up production of close-to-weapons-grade uranium has put pressure on Trump, who has been pursuing a “maximum pressure” strategy, enforcing stringent sanctions on Iran’s oil exports.
US officials say Iran can produce a nuclear weapon in weeks if it chooses to do so, something Tehran has consistently denied. Iranian leaders stress that their nuclear program is based on peaceful principles, pointing to a religious edict by Khamenei prohibiting the production of nuclear weapons.
Iran Rolls Back Commitments Under Nuclear Deal
Khamenei said that Iran had kept to its end of the bargain under the 2015 agreement for one year but had “no other way” but to dial back compliance. The Iranian legislature approved bills backing the cutting back of nuclear commitments after US sanctions and the Trump administration withdrawal from the agreement.
Iran has also charged that the US uses negotiations as a political maneuver to change popular sentiment instead of working on eliminating the causes of tensions. Khamenei reiterated that Tehran would not give in to foreign pressure, continuing its opposition to Western interference in its nuclear and defense policies.