Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told air force officers in Teheran on Friday that nuclear talks with the U.S. ‘are not intelligent, wise or honorable.’
Khamenei added that ‘there should be no negotiations with such a government,’ but did not issue an order to not engage with the U.S., according to The Associated Press.
Khamenei’s remarks on Friday seem to contradict his previous indications that he was open to negotiating with the U.S. over Iran’s nuclear program. In August, Khamenei seemed to open the door to nuclear talks with the U.S., telling his country’s civilian government that there was ‘no harm’ in engaging with its ‘enemy,’ the AP reported.
President Donald Trump floated the idea of a ‘verified nuclear peace agreement’ with Teheran in a post on his Truth Social platform. In the same post, he also slammed ‘greatly exaggerated’ reports claiming that the U.S. and Israel were going to ‘blow Iran into smithereens.’
‘I would much prefer a Verified Nuclear Peace Agreement, which will let Iran peacefully grow and prosper. We should start working on it immediately, and have a big Middle East Celebration when it is signed and completed,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social.
In 2018, during his first term, Trump exited the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran Nuclear Deal, saying that it was not strong enough to restrain Iran’s nuclear development. At the time, President Trump argued that the deal, which was made during former President Barack Obama’s second term, was ‘one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into.’
Just days before his call for a ‘verified nuclear peace agreement’ with Iran, Trump signed an executive order urging the government to put pressure on the Islamic republic. He also told reporters that if Iran were to assassinate him, they would be ‘obliterated,’ as per his alleged instructions.
According to the AP, on Friday, Khamenei slammed the U.S. because, in his eyes, ‘the Americans did not hold up their end of the deal.’ Furthermore, Iran’s supreme leader referenced Trump’s withdrawal from the JCPOA, saying that he ‘tore up the agreement.’
‘We negotiated, we gave concessions, we compromised— but we did not achieve the results we aimed for.’
Iran has insisted for years that its nuclear program was aimed at civilian and peaceful purposes, not weapons. However, it has enriched its uranium to up to 60% purity, which is around 90% the level that would be considered weapons grade.
International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi told Reuters in December 2024 that it was ‘regrettable’ that there was no ‘diplomatic process ongoing which could lead to a de-escalation, or a more stable equation.’
In addition to his remarks on Iran, President Trump made global headlines with his proposal that the US take over Gaza as the Israel-Hamas war rages on. Khamenei, according to the AP, also seemed to reference the president’s remarks on Gaza without mentioning them outright.
‘The Americans sit, redrawing the map of the world — but only on paper, as it has no basis in reality,’ Khamenei told air force officers, according to the AP. ‘They make statements about us, express opinions and issue threats. If they threaten us, we will threaten them in return. If they act on their threats, we will act on ours. If they violate the security of our nation, we will, without a doubt, respond in kind.’