Iran's Khamenei pours scorn on Trump's nuclear-deal overture

Golnar Motevalli, Bloomberg News on Feb 7, 2025

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Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said it wouldn’t be smart, wise or honorable to start fresh negotiations with the U.S. after President Donald Trump said he wanted a new nuclear deal.

“Negotiating with the U.S. won’t solve any of the country’s problems,” Khamenei said in a speech shown on Iranian state TV on Friday, adding that the experience of brokering the original 2015 nuclear agreement resulted in more sanctions after Trump first entered office.

“Our government at the time sat down with the Americans, talked with them and they laughed together, shook hands, did whatever else,” Khamenei said. Referring to Trump, he said “the Americans didn’t abide by that deal and the same individual that’s now back in charge tore up that deal.”

Officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the nuclear accord was a landmark, multilateral agreement that placed tight restrictions on Iran’s atomic activities in exchange for sanctions relief. Signed during the presidency of Barack Obama, Trump walked away from the deal in 2018 and imposed tougher penalties on the Islamic Republic’s economy.

Iran has since been ramping up production of fissile material, with the country’s stockpile of near bomb-grade enriched uranium surging to record highs. The International Atomic Energy Agency, the top nuclear regulator, said last month an understanding between the Islamic Republic and the U.S. needs to be reached to avoid a potential conflict.

Mixed signals

Since returning to the White House last month, Trump has sent mixed signals about how he intends to approach Iran.

Hours after signing a directive Wednesday to revive his “maximum pressure” strategy and increase sanctions, he said in a post on Truth Social that he “would much prefer a Verified Nuclear Peace Agreement, which will let Iran peacefully grow and prosper,” adding that he wanted to start talks immediately.

While Khamenei’s statement was clearly censorious and ridiculed the way Iranian officials have interacted with U.S. counterparts in the past, it didn’t explicitly rule out talks with Washington. By emphasizing Trump’s past actions, he may also be signalling that he expects concrete assurances and guarantees over sanctions removal before agreeing to formal talks.