Ayatollah Khamenei has rejected Donald Trump’s offer for new talks, saying the US has not destroyed Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
Khamenei Rejects Trump’s Offer to Reopen Nuclear Talks
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has rejected US President Donald Trump’s offer to re-open talks, saying any deals forced under pressure are not genuine agreements.
Khamenei’s speech came after Trump told the Israeli parliament that he wanted to make a “peace deal” with Tehran, citing the recent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
“Not a deal, but coercion”
“Trump says he is a master of deals. But if a deal is accompanied by coercion and its outcome is predetermined, it is not a deal, but a dictate and bullying,” Khamenei said, according to Iranian state media.
He also rejected the US president’s claim that US and Israeli air strikes in June “destroyed Iran’s nuclear industry.”
“He says they destroyed our nuclear facilities. Very good, keep dreaming!” the spiritual leader added.
After war and fruitless talks
The US and Iran held five rounds of indirect talks on their nuclear program, but they ended in a 12-day air war in June, when US and Israeli forces struck Iranian facilities.
Khamenei stressed that the United States has no right to interfere in the development of Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
“What does America have to do with whether Iran has nuclear facilities? These interventions are wrong and forced,” he said.
Iran insists on the peaceful nature of the program
Western countries accuse Iran of trying to create nuclear weapons by enriching uranium, but Tehran denies these accusations, saying the program is exclusively energy and civilian in nature.
Despite devastating air strikes and sanctions, Iran continues to develop its nuclear facilities, viewing them as a symbol of national sovereignty and independence from the West.
