Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader, stated on Wednesday that Iran will not engage in negotiations under pressure. He slammed U.S. rhetoric regarding Iran's nuclear program, stating: 'They say, we cannot allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon. If we wanted to produce nuclear weapons, we would do so, and America couldn't stop us'. Additionally, Khamenei dismissed threats of military action against Iran.
America threatens us with military action. In my opinion, these threats are nonsensical. If they enter into a war [with Iran], the war will not be one-sided. Iran is capable of striking back, and will certainly strike back. If America or its agents decide to commit a mistake, they will be the ones that will lose the most.
Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei
Khamenei's remarks came during a conference with Iranian students, amid reports of U.S. President Donald Trump having sent a letter to Iran, urging them to negotiate and engage in talks for a new nuclear deal. Weeks ago, Ayatollah Khamenei stated that negotiations with the U.S. are 'neither wise nor honorable', asserting that the country's issues would not be solved by engaging in talks with a country that has proven to be untrustworthy.
Several days ago, Khamenei doubled down on this, stating that the U.S. wants to negotiate with Iran not to solve issues and reach solutions, but rather to impose its will upon the Iranian nation and bully it into submission. The Supreme Leader furthermore stated that the United States is not only looking to curb Iran's nuclear program, but that it also wants to discuss additional demands, such as Iran's conventional ballistic missile program, something which Khamenei called a 'false expectation' and 'something the Iranian people will never accept'.