TEHRAN – As a senior Emirati diplomat arrived in Tehran on Wednesday to deliver a letter from the U.S. President to Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution said for the third time in recent weeks that Iran will not be negotiating with Washington, pointing out once again that the U.S. has yet to uphold its previous commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), hence there is no reason for Iran to sit down with the Americans. 

The JCPOA, signed in 2015, limited Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for the termination of sanctions. Donald Trump left the deal during his first term as the U.S. president in 2018, re-imposing sanctions against Iran and intensifying them under what he termed the “maximum pressure campaign”.  Trump said he wants a new nuclear deal with Iran, a sentiment he repeated at the beginning of his second term in February while signing a renewal of the campaign. 

“The fact that the President of the United States claims he is ready to negotiate with Iran and is inviting talks is an attempt to deceive public opinion around the world. This implies that we [U.S.] want to negotiate and seek peace, but Iran is not interested,” Ayatollah Khamenei said during a meeting with Iranian university students. 

“We spent years negotiating, and then this same person tossed the completed and signed agreement aside and ripped it up. When we know negotiations won't be effective, what kind of talks should we pursue?” the Leader explained. It took two years of comprehensive talks for Iran, the U.S., UK, France, Germany, Russia, and China to sign the JCPOA. 

It was not immediately known if Ayatollah Khamenei's remarks were made with knowledge of the content of Trump’s letter. Notably, in 2019, he refused to accept a message from Trump, delivered by then-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, dismissing the American president as not worth exchanging messages with.

Iran’s Leader also addressed unspecified Iranian officials who believe negotiating with the U.S. could ease economic pressure through sanctions relief: “‘Some people within the country keep pushing for negotiations: ‘Why aren’t we responding? Why aren’t we sitting down with the U.S.?’”

Ayatollah Khamenei clarified that engagement with the current U.S. administration would not alleviate sanctions: “If the aim of negotiation is to get rid of the sanctions, engaging with this U.S. administration won’t achieve that. Instead, it will complicate the sanctions issue further and increase pressure on us. Negotiating with this government will only heighten that pressure.”

The Leader noted that, in a recent meeting with Iranian authorities, he warned new talks with Washington would only lead to further demands: “New issues will be raised, unrealistic expectations will be set, and unreasonable demands will come up. This will only make the problem worse than it is today. So, negotiating doesn’t really resolve any issues; it doesn’t untangle any of the complexities we face.”

While recognizing the impact of U.S. sanctions, Ayatollah Khamenei stated that internal factors also contribute to Iran's economic difficulties. “Sanctions aren't completely ineffective, but it's important to recognize that our economic struggles aren't solely due to them. Often, a significant part of our issues comes from our own negligence. While sanctions do play a role, many of our problems stem from within. Over time, sanctions can also lose their effectiveness, which is something we need to keep in mind.”

Iran doesn’t have nukes, because it’s never wanted to 

Elsewhere in his remarks, Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized that the reason Iran does not possess nuclear weapons and isn't pursuing them is simply because it chooses not to. “There are various reasons for this decision, which we've discussed before. If we had the desire to pursue nuclear weapons, no external force could prevent us from doing so”, he said, adding “If Iran truly wanted to develop them, the U.S. wouldn't be able to stop us.”

Decades ago, the Leader issued a fatwa (religious decree) banning the development and possession of weapons of mass destruction, deeming them contrary to Islamic principles.

In perhaps the most important part of his speech, Ayatollah Khamenei issued a stern warning regarding the escalating threats from the United States: “Iran is not seeking war, but if the Americans and their agents make the wrong move, Iran's response will be decisive and certain, and the one who will suffer the most will be the United States.”

Trump has been saying that he would resort to military action if Iran does not enter talks and agree with his terms for a new agreement. 

The Leader characterized the U.S. military threats as irrational and warned that such provocations could lead to significant consequences. "Creating war and inflicting damage is not one-sided," he stated.