Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has cautioned his government against engaging in negotiations with the United States, calling such discussions “unwise.”
During a meeting with army commanders on Friday, Khamenei emphasized that negotiating with the U.S. would be dishonorable and illogical, citing the country’s past actions, particularly its withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear agreement. He remarked that the U.S. had previously “ruined, violated, and torn up” the nuclear deal.
Khamenei’s warning comes shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump called for a “verified nuclear peace agreement” with Iran, asserting that Iran must not be allowed to possess nuclear weapons. However, Iran maintains that its nuclear program is purely for peaceful purposes and denies any intention to develop nuclear arms.
Khamenei further stated that negotiating with the U.S. would not resolve Iran’s issues, drawing from past experiences where such talks had yielded no positive outcomes. He stressed that Iran would not benefit from sitting down with the U.S. government to resolve the challenges facing the country.
Trump, who returned to the White House on January 20, reinstated his “maximum pressure” policy against Iran, accusing the country of attempting to develop nuclear weapons. Under Trump’s previous administration, the U.S. had withdrawn from the 2015 nuclear deal, which had placed limits on Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.
Khamenei noted that despite Iran’s “generosity” during the initial negotiations leading to the 2015 deal, the agreement had not delivered the intended results, with the U.S. ultimately tearing up the treaty.
He also warned that Iran would retaliate if the U.S. threatened or took action against Iran, stating, “If they threaten us, we will threaten them. If they carry out this threat, we will carry out our threat. If they attack the security of our nation, we will attack their security without hesitation.”
