By Mona Hojat Ansari
Across Iranian politics, officials unite behind Ayatollah Khamenei’s rejection of talks with ‘bullying’ US
TEHRAN – Iranian officials on Sunday rallied behind remarks by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, who told authorities a day earlier that Tehran would not negotiate with Washington, a stance taken for the second time since Donald Trump assumed the role of president this year.
“The persistence of some bullying governments in wanting negotiations is not to solve issues but to impose their own expectations. The Islamic Republic of Iran will undoubtedly reject their demands,” Ayatollah Khamenei stated on Saturday. That came after Trump told American media he had sent a letter to the Leader, expressing willingness to strike a deal with Iran on its nuclear program. Iran says it has received no such letter, while an unnamed American official later told Al Jazeera that the message had been penned but not sent.
Trump withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2018, and re-imposed the anti-Iran sanctions that had been lifted under the deal. He appears to want more from Iran than just the limitations the JCPOA put on its nuclear activities, pushing for concessions on its domestically-developed missiles and drone programs and its close ties to regional Resistance forces. Iranians have repeatedly said that the country’s military capabilities or alliances are not up for discussion. They also point to continued Israeli aggressions in the region, and the regime’s long-lasting threats of striking Iran.
Iranian lawmakers, including Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, said during their latest session that Tehran will not wait to receive any letter from Washington. “What is clear is that no negotiation would result in the removal of sanctions under the specter of threats and with an American agenda that entails new concessions,” Qalibaf stated, adding, “We believe that the enormous internal capacities and the opportunities for the promotion of foreign relations with other countries could take Iran to such a position that the enemy will have no option but to remove the sanctions within the framework of continuation of negotiations with the countries remaining in the JCPOA.”
Iran is currently engaged in talks with European signatories to the nuclear deal – France, Germany, Britain – discussing a range of issues including the lame-duck state of the JCPOA.
After decades of U.S. sanctions, Tehran has honed the art of circumventing or neutralizing them. But its currency market remains susceptible to external developments. The Iranian Rial fell to a record low against the dollar in February following Trump's renewal of the "maximum pressure" campaign through an executive decree, worsening inflationary pressures within Iran.
The directive aims to bring Iran’s most important source of revenue – oil exports – to zero. However, within a month of its signing, Iran's oil sales reached their highest level since 2018. Analysts suggest that the U.S. has exhausted its pressure tools against Iran and that Iranian authorities must prioritize strategies to insulate the economy from currency volatility. The government is expected to announce policy decisions regarding inflation control in the upcoming Iranian year, with numerous solutions reportedly having been proposed.
Military officials also weighed in on Trump’s negotiation proposals. The Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Army (Artesh), Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, told Al Mayadeen that "no rational person would accept negotiations under pressure and sanctions."
Former President Hassan Rouhani, who oversaw the signing of the JCPOA in 2015, also said to the Lebanese media outlet that the U.S. has "failed to achieve its political and international objectives" against Iran. Gholamreza Mesbahi Moghaddam, a member of Iran’s Expediency Discernment Council, said talks with Washington under the current circumstances would only bring about harm.
Trump says if Iran refuses to strike a deal he wants, he would “bomb the hell” out of the country. Analysts and leaders in the region have warned that such an action would not be limited to potential damage to Iranian nuclear facilities, but would unleash a period of devastating regional instability.
In a phone call on Sunday, President Masoud Pezeshkian told the Norwegian Prime Minister that Iran has, despite repeated Israeli provocations, consistently worked to prevent a regional conflagration. He emphasized, however, that Iran would not hesitate to defend its sovereignty and interests. The president further stated that Israel has been attempting to demonize Iran's nuclear program, which he reiterated remains peaceful under a religious decree (fatwa) issued by Ayatollah Khamenei.
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