Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday definitively rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal for renewed negotiations. He also vehemently denied Trump’s assertion that the United States had successfully dismantled Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
This comes after Tehran and Washington engaged in five rounds of indirect nuclear discussions, which concluded with a 12-day aerial conflict in June, during which Israeli and U.S. forces reportedly bombed Iranian nuclear sites.
According to state media, Mr. Khamenei stated, “Trump says he is a dealmaker, but if a deal is accompanied by coercion and its outcome is predetermined, it is not a deal but rather an imposition and bullying.”
Just last week, Mr. Trump addressed the Israeli Parliament, expressing his desire for Washington to broker a “peace deal” with Tehran, following the implementation of a ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
“The U.S. President proudly says they bombed and destroyed Iran’s nuclear industry. Very well, keep dreaming!” Mr. Khamenei retorted. He further questioned, “What does it have to do with America whether Iran has nuclear facilities or not? These interventions are inappropriate, wrong and coercive.”
Western nations have long accused Iran of secretly pursuing nuclear weapons through uranium enrichment and have demanded an end to such activities. Tehran, however, maintains that its enrichment program is exclusively for peaceful civilian energy purposes and denies any ambition to weaponize it.