Iran’s supreme leader rules out talks with Donald Trump

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Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ruled out negotiations with Donald Trump’s administration, citing past experiences dealing with the US president and vowing to respond forcefully to any threats against the Islamic republic.

“With such a government there should not be any negotiations as it is neither wise, nor prudent, nor dignified,” Khamenei, the country’s ultimate decision maker, told Iranian military forces on Friday.

He referred to the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, which Trump withdrew from in 2018 before imposing the toughest sanctions on the Islamic republic to date. “This is our experience with them,” Khamenei said. “We have to use it.”

“If they threaten us, we will threaten them. If they act on their threats, we will act on ours,” he warned. “If they violate our nation’s security, we will violate theirs . . . This is our duty, as required by Islam.”

Khamenei’s statement comes in the week that Trump signed an executive order to return to his first term’s “maximum pressure” sanctions policy on Iran, but also called for Tehran and Washington to come to a “verified nuclear agreement”.

Trump’s return to the White House followed a fraught year for Iran, which has suffered a series of devastating military blows at the hands of Israel.

The Islamic republic’s long-running nuclear stand-off with the west is also coming to a head, with Iran close to enriching uranium at weapons-grade level and closer than it has ever been to having capacity to produce nuclear bombs.

Diplomats in the reformist government of President Masoud Pezeshkian had suggested in recent weeks that Iran could be open to talks aimed at reassuring the world that it is not seeking nuclear weapons.

Pezeshkian was elected last year after pledging to have US sanctions lifted by resuming negotiations. He reinstated seasoned diplomats such as foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, who played a significant role in negotiating the nuclear accord more than a decade ago.

Pezeshkian’s ability to secure Khamenei’s backing — despite staunch opposition from hardliners — signalled to many in both Tehran and western capitals that the Islamic Republic was prepared to return to the negotiating table with the US.

But Khamenei’s remarks give the clearest indication yet of the top Iranian leader’s stance towards the Trump administration. He criticised Iran’s previous negotiators, saying they had been “too generous and compromised too much” during past diplomatic efforts.

“They negotiated, smiled, shook hands, and made friends,” he said, but the US was “not even committed to that and violated the accord”.

Analysts in Tehran argued that Khamenei’s comments could be intended to make clear that the Islamic republic does not want to be seen to negotiate from a position of weakness.

The US president has signalled that he wants to take a hardline approach towards Iran’s “axis of resistance”, through which the Islamic republic has long supported militant groups such as Lebanon’s Hizbollah and Hamas.

Iran, however, has vowed to maintain its foreign policy and defence priorities, including support for regional proxies and the development of ballistic missiles.

“Iran cannot compromise on the pillars of its policies, including its missile programme and regional influence,” one Iranian analyst said. “It has become clear in recent days that the new US administration will not be satisfied with merely reviving nuclear talks.

“Trump has big plans for the Middle East, and Iran cannot afford to make concessions that undermine its strategic interests,” the analyst added.

Khamenei — who has so far fully backed Pezeshkian — stated that the reformist government has the capacity to alleviate economic hardships. He made no direct reference to US sanctions, however, which have inflicted significant suffering on Iran’s 85mn-strong population.