Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has rejected the possibility of nuclear talks with the United States, insisting that negotiations would not resolve Iran’s problems.
A few days ago, U.S. President Donald Trump spoke about the possibility of reaching an agreement with Iran.
“The truth we must understand is that talks with America will not affect the resolution of the country’s problems,” Khamenei said on Friday during an annual speech to officers of the Iranian Air Force.
The Supreme Leader, who is consulted on all state matters, emphasized that it would not be “wise or honest” to engage in talks with Washington.
He made this statement despite months of Iranian officials suggesting that Tehran was open to talks with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Trump himself has called for a new nuclear agreement with Iran, stating that he wants Iran to “grow and prosper peacefully” as long as it does not possess nuclear weapons.
On February 4, the Republican president resumed his “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran, a cornerstone of his policy toward the Islamic Republic during his first term. However, Trump also mentioned that he wanted to begin working on a “verified nuclear peace agreement.”
In 2018, Trump withdrew the United States from a historic nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. He also reinstated sanctions that had been lifted under the terms of that agreement.
Khamenei referred to Trump’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal as evidence that “negotiations with America are futile.”
The comments from the Iranian leader have sparked reactions on social media, with some saying his statements rule out the possibility of talks with the United States.
Others argue that he has not formally ruled out talks with Trump and that his words should not be taken literally.
Exactly 12 years ago, during a speech in 2013 to the air force officers, Khamenei stated that “talks with America will not solve the problems.”
At the same time, Iranian and American officials were preparing for another round of secret talks, which later paved the way for the negotiations that led to the 2015 nuclear deal.
