“We are not waiting for any letter from the US and believe that by utilizing our vast domestic capacities and opportunities to develop foreign relations with other countries, we can reach a position where the enemy will have no choice but to lift sanctions in the form of continuing negotiations with the remaining countries in the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action],” Ghalibaf said in parliament.
On Saturday, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that Iran will not accept demands from a “bully” who only seeks dominance rather than solving problems. He did not name the United States, but his comments come a day after US President Donald Trump said he sent a letter to the Supreme Leader in a bid to open nuclear negotiations.
“The US President's behavior with other countries shows that these statements are merely a deception to pretend to negotiate with the aim of disarming Iran, which he has signed into the US policy document,” Ghalibaf stressed, emphasizing that negotiations conducted under threats or the imposition of new demands will not result in the lifting of sanctions.
During his first tenure in office, Trump pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, also known as the JCPOA, that saw Tehran agree to curb its nuclear enrichment program in exchange for much-needed relief from crippling sanctions.
Soon after returning to power this year, Trump restored his “maximum pressure” policy that authorized sanctions with the goal of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon or expanding its missile program, warning that Tehran is “too close” to a nuclear weapon.
Trump has said that he would be open to making a new nuclear deal with Tehran, but in February, Khamenei said it would be “unwise” to negotiate with the US.
Iran’s foreign minister has also ruled out talks as long as Washington persists with its sanctions policy.
Since the US withdrew from the deal in 2018, Iran has significantly increased its nuclear program but has said that an atomic bomb goes against the Islamic republic’s doctrine.
