Daijiworld Media Network - Tehran
Tehran, Mar 9: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has dismissed calls for negotiations from certain global powers, accusing them of using diplomacy as a tool for imposing their own demands rather than resolving issues.
Speaking at a gathering of government officials in Tehran on Saturday, Khamenei directly responded to U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated appeals for talks on Iran’s nuclear program. According to footage released by the leader’s office, Khamenei asserted that the true intent behind these negotiation requests was to dictate terms, not to reach a fair resolution.
“Their negotiation is not for resolving issues, but for dominating and imposing what they want on the other side,” Khamenei stated.
He warned that when Iran rejects these demands, these same powers create an uproar, accusing Tehran of abandoning the negotiation table.
Khamenei emphasized that Iran’s nuclear program is not the sole issue at stake, claiming that foreign powers continue to raise additional demands that Iran has no intention of meeting. He pointed to Britain, France, and Germany, accusing them of failing to honor their obligations under the 2015 nuclear agreement while simultaneously blaming Iran for non-compliance.
Referencing the U.S. withdrawal from the deal in 2018, Khamenei reminded that European nations had promised to compensate for America’s exit, yet failed to fulfill their commitments.
Iran had originally signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in July 2015 with six world powers, agreeing to restrictions on its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. However, under Trump’s administration, the U.S. unilaterally withdrew in May 2018, reimposing sanctions. In response, Iran scaled back some of its nuclear commitments.
Trump, in an interview with Fox Business Network on Friday, reiterated his desire to reopen talks with Iran, revealing that he had sent a letter to Iranian leadership regarding the matter. However, Iran’s permanent mission to the United Nations in New York stated that no such letter had been received.