Iran's Khamenei warns against negotiating with US

Iran's Khamenei warns against negotiating with US
By Menna Zaki and Ramin Khanizadeh
Tehran (AFP) Feb 7, 2025

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Friday that there should not be negotiations with the United States, days after US President Donald Trump called for a new nuclear deal.

"You should not negotiate with such a government, it is unwise, it is not intelligent, it is not honourable to negotiate," Khamenei said during a meeting with army commanders.

The United States had previously "ruined, violated, and tore up" a 2015 nuclear deal, he said, adding that "the same person who is in power now tore up the treaty".

On Wednesday, Trump suggested striking a "verified nuclear peace agreement" with Iran, adding in his social media post that Tehran "cannot have a Nuclear Weapon".

Trump, who returned to the White House on January 20, reinstated on Tuesday his "maximum pressure" policy towards Iran over allegations the country is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.

Iran insists its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful purposes and denies any intention to develop atomic weapons.

Following the policy's reinstatement, Washington on Thursday announced financial sanctions on entities and individuals accused of shipping hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of Iranian crude oil to China.

Tehran on Friday condemned the sanctions as "illegal", saying they were "categorically unjustified and contrary to international rules".

"We must understand this correctly: they should not pretend that if we sit down at the negotiating table with that government (the US administration), problems will be solved," Khamenei said.

"No problem will be solved by negotiating with America," he said, citing previous "experience".

- Reciprocity -

Khamenei also warned of reciprocal measures if the United States threatened or acted against Iran.

"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," he said.

During Trump's first term, which ended in 2021, Washington withdrew from the landmark nuclear deal that had imposed curbs on Iran's nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief.

Tehran adhered to the 2015 deal -- known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action -- until a year after Washington pulled out, but then began rolling back its commitments. Efforts to revive the deal have since faltered.

Khamenei said Iran was "very generous" during the negotiations that culminated in the deal, but it "did not achieve the intended results".

Iranian political expert Afifeh Abedi said the Khamenei's remarks highlight "a serious concern" that negotiations "will result in the US breaching its commitments".

"Iran understands that Trump's willingness to negotiate is a disingenuous, reactionary move driven by other objectives, rather than a genuine commitment to reaching an agreement," she said.

Iran has repeatedly expressed a willingness to revive the nuclear deal, and President Masoud Pezeshkian has called for an end to the country's isolation.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said recently the new US administration should work to regain Tehran's trust if it wants a new round of nuclear talks.

- 'Only on paper' -

Western sanctions, especially since the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal, have taken a toll on millions of Iranians struggling to make ends meet amid high inflation and a plunging currency.

Khamenei acknowledged this on Friday, saying "almost most segments of the population have some problems" but adding they could be solved internally.

The current "respected government can reduce the livelihood problems of the people", he said.

Tehran has said it hopes Trump will adopt a "realistic" approach towards countries in the Middle East including Iran.

However, on Thursday, it joined Arab countries and world leaders in condemning a Trump plan to move Palestinians out of Gaza "permanently".

In the wake of the uproar, the Trump administration appeared to backtrack, with Washington's top diplomat saying any transfer of Gazans would be temporary.

Without directly mentioning Gaza, Khamenei said Friday the US administration was trying "to change the map of the world".

"Of course it is only on paper, it has no basis in reality," he said.