Tehran, Iran: In a resolute attitude against recent overtures from the U.S., Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has rejected proposals for negotiations oriented toward limiting Iran’s missile program and regional influence. Following that recent tensions between Tehran and Washington. Certain mutual threats further deepened the diplomatic stalemate between the two sides.
Khamenei’s firm refusal
Looking to persuade the people of Iran in Tehran, Khamenei criticized the U.S. for repeatedly calling for ‘dialogue,’ which he said is more a coercion than an honest initiative to help solve problems. Such demands, therefore, are tantamount to putting U.S. expectations as conditions for Iran, which will not accept that,’ Khamenei said. He added that Iran will never give in to external pressure and blackmail.
Trump’s offer to negotiate with the stick of military option
President Donald Trump stepped up effort recently, aiming at bringing Iran back to the negotiating table on its nuclear program. In a letter to Ayatollah Khamenei, he told him that he wanted to solve the issue fairly but without the use of military force. He went on to emphasize that there wasn’t much time for Iran: it had to halt its nuclear ambitions and provide the world with proof of their abandonment.
But Trump’s outreach comes with a strong threat that he has spoken out against Israel and other U.S.-allied nations in taking military action against Iran. This twin approach of an offer to negotiate topped with a militant threat has been the character of Trump’s administration toward Iran.
Iran has consistently insisted that substantive negotiations can’t proceed while the American “maximum pressure” campaign hangs over Iran. The idea has gained traction since the Trump administration reinstated serious sanctions aimed at ruining Iran’s economy and oil interests.
The position of the Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, is that direct negotiations cannot be undertaken whilst these sanctions remain in place. Although President Trump has repeatedly asserted that the U.S. does not desire regime change in Iran, Supreme Leader Khamenei harbors deep distrust toward the intentions of Americans.
He worries that the ultimate goal of the U.S. is to undermine Iran’s sovereignty and destabilize its government. Such distrust has resulted in the firm refusal to partake in negotiations that are deemed to be against Iran’s national interest. The international community is becoming increasingly worried over Iran’s expedited nuclear activities.
Following the withdrawal of the U.S. from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2018, Iran initiated increasing development of its nuclear program, which exceeds the framework of the agreement. The UN’s nuclear watchdog is sounding alarms about the urgency that must be placed by the international community on a diplomatic resolution as Iran enriches uranium at higher levels.
While Iran insists that it is a peaceful program, more recent threats to pursue nuclear weapons have most perceptibly exacerbated global concerns. A nuclear Iran would deeply affect the regional stability and the international security. Unfortunately, the U.S.-Iran relations have been further tightened because of past incidents such as the assassination of general Qasem Soleimani in January 2020.
His assassination by the American drone strike aggravated the anti-American sentiments among the Iranian people and prompted Iranian leaders to seek revenge.
