Will Not Succumb To Trump's Bullying: Iran's Supreme Leader

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei today firmly rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s call for nuclear negotiations, declaring that Iran would not be bullied into talks. This came a day after Trump revealed that he had sent a letter to Khamenei proposing a deal to curb Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, saying, “There are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily, or you make a deal.” Trump’s overture blends diplomacy with his reinstated “maximum pressure” campaign of sanctions, aimed at isolating Iran economically and slashing its oil exports.

Khamenei, speaking to senior Iranian officials, dismissed Washington’s negotiation push as a guise to “impose their own expectations,” according to state media. “The insistence of some bullying governments on negotiations is not to resolve issues… Talks for them is a pathway to have new demands,” he said, citing not just nuclear limits but also Iran’s missile range and regional influence—demands he vowed Iran would never accept. Though he didn’t name Trump, the timing was unmistakable.

Trump’s move follows his 2018 withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal, which had capped Iran’s nuclear activities for sanctions relief. After reimposing sanctions, Iran surged past those limits, enriching uranium to near weapons-grade levels, alarming the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi, who warns time for diplomacy is dwindling. Tehran insists its program is peaceful, yet its growing arsenal—including a new drone carrier and underground naval base—fuels Western concerns about Middle East stability.

Khamenei, Iran’s ultimate authority, stressed defiance as the only response to coercion, spotlighting Tehran’s ballistic missiles, seen abroad as destabilizing despite Iran’s defensive claims. With Trump hinting at swift results and Iran entrenched, the standoff risks escalating tensions further, leaving the prospect of a deal—or peace—in doubt.