Iran’s Khamenei rejects US nuclear talks, calls Trump’s supply a deception

Iran’s Supreme Chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday rejected holding negotiations with the USA over a nuclear deal, as a letter was delivered from US President Donald Trump calling for such talks.

Final week, Trump mentioned he had despatched the letter to Khamenei proposing nuclear talks, but additionally warned that “there are two methods Iran will be dealt with: militarily, otherwise you make a deal”.

The letter was handed over to Iranian International Minister Abbas Araqchi on Wednesday by Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the president of the United Arab Emirates.

Whereas Araqchi and Gargash had been assembly, Khamenei advised a gaggle of college college students that Trump’s supply for talks was “a deception”, state media reported.

“Once we know they received’t honour it, what’s the purpose of negotiating? Subsequently, the invitation to barter … is a deception of public opinion,” Khamenei was quoted as saying by state media. Khamenei mentioned he had not but seen the letter.

Khamenei mentioned negotiating with the Trump administration, which he mentioned had extreme calls for, “will tighten the knot of sanctions and enhance stress on Iran”.

In 2018, Trump withdrew the U.S. from Tehran’s 2015 nuclear take care of world powers and reimposed sanctions which have crippled Iran’s financial system. Tehran reacted a yr later by violating the deal’s nuclear curbs.

Khamenei, who has the ultimate phrase in Iranian state issues, mentioned final week that Tehran wouldn’t be bullied into talks underneath threats.

Whereas leaving the door open for a nuclear pact with Tehran, Trump has reinstated the “most stress” marketing campaign he utilized in his first time period as president to isolate Iran from the worldwide financial system and drive its oil exports in the direction of zero.

The UAE, one among Washington’s key Center East safety companions and host to U.S. troops, additionally maintains heat ties with Tehran. Regardless of previous tensions, enterprise and commerce hyperlinks between the 2 nations have remained robust, and Dubai has served as a key business hub for Iran for greater than a century.

Army threats

Iran has lengthy denied eager to develop a nuclear weapon.

“If we wished to construct nuclear weapons, the U.S. wouldn’t be capable to cease it. We ourselves are not looking for it,” Khamenei mentioned.

Nonetheless, Iran’s inventory of uranium enriched to as much as 60% purity, near the roughly 90% weapons-grade stage, has jumped, the Worldwide Atomic Power Company mentioned late final month.

Iran’s arch-foe Israel has threatened to assault Iranian nuclear websites if diplomacy fails to comprise Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned final month after assembly U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Israel and the USA had been decided to thwart Iran’s nuclear ambitions and its affect within the Center East.

Khamenei warned on Wednesday towards any army strike on Iran.

“Iran will not be looking for battle, but when the People or their brokers take a flawed step, our response shall be decisive and sure, and the one who will endure essentially the most hurt is America,” he mentioned.

Whereas Tehran has vowed to retaliate towards any army aggression, some Western diplomats argue that the nation would face vital challenges.

Final yr, Israel struck Iranian amenities together with missile factories and air defences in retaliation for Iranian missile and drone assaults.

That diminished Tehran’s typical army capabilities, in response to analysts and U.S. officers, an evaluation disputed by Tehran.