Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, declared today that his nation will not be “bullied” into talks concerning its nuclear program.
In a meeting with top Iranian officials, Khamenei expressed that the United States is attempting to “impose their own expectations” on Iran, as reported by the country’s state media. “The US is bringing up new demands that certainly will not be accepted by Iran, like our defense capabilities, missile range and international influence,” he remarked.
While not directly naming the United States, Khamenei criticized “some bullying governments” for pushing negotiations as a means to introduce “new demands” rather than to resolve existing issues. “Iran will definitely not accept their expectations,” he reiterated.
Khamenei further asserted that there is “no other way to stand against coercion and bullying.”
On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump shared with Fox News that he had sent a letter to Khamenei urging negotiations.
The letter stated that Trump is open to discussions with Iran but warned that if negotiations are not fruitful, the alternative is to take action because “Iran cannot have nuclear weapons.” Trump also reaffirmed that the U.S. will take the necessary steps to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear capabilities.
“If Iran doesn’t negotiate, it will be very ugly for them,” Trump told Fox News. “Iran can’t have nukes. Other options are available.”
Later that day, Trump hinted that action regarding Iran would be taken “very soon.”
“We have a situation with Iran that something’s going to happen very soon, very, very soon. You’ll be talking about that pretty soon, I guess,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “And hopefully we can have a peace deal,” he added. “You know, I’m not speaking out of strength or weakness. I’m just saying I’d rather see a peace deal than the other [option], but the other will solve the problem.”
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