TEHRAN: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday dismissed an offer by U.S. President Donald Trump to reopen nuclear negotiations, rejecting Washington’s claims that it had destroyed Iran’s nuclear capabilities after joint US -Israeli airstrikes earlier this year. Speaking through state media, Khamenei accused Washington of coercion and hypocrisy, saying Trump’s approach is not a deal but rather an imposition and bullying.
The comments came after Trump told Israeli lawmakers last week that it would be great if the United States could reach a peace deal with Tehran, following the recent Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. But Khamenei made clear that Iran saw no room for fresh engagement under current circumstances, asserting that “if a deal is accompanied by coercion and its outcome is predetermined, it is not a deal.
Tensions between Tehran and Washington flared following five rounds of indirect nuclear talks that collapsed amid a 12-day air campaign in June targeting Iranian nuclear sites. The strikes, carried out jointly by the U.S. and Israel, marked one of the most serious escalations since the collapse of the 2015 nuclear accord.
Mocking Trump’s boast that the U.S. had wiped out Iran’s nuclear capacity, Khamenei retorted, Very well, keep dreaming. He further condemned what he called U.S. interference in Iran’s sovereign right to pursue nuclear energy, adding, What does it have to do with America whether Iran has nuclear facilities or not?
Western powers have long accused Tehran of secretly seeking to build nuclear weapons through uranium enrichment. Iran has consistently denied such allegations, insisting its program is purely for civilian energy and medical research. With sanctions reinstated and diplomacy frozen, analysts warn that the standoff may deepen further, risking another cycle of confrontation in the Middle East.