“When you threaten me, I don’t want to negotiate with you,” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in response to President Donald Trump’s call for direct talks on Iran’s nuclear program. Pezeshkian then added, “Do whatever the hell you want.”
In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, President Trump revealed that he had sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei the previous week, requesting that the two leaders “negotiate” on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program. Meanwhile, on Saturday, Khamenei criticized the actions of “bullying governments,” without naming them, for attempting to strike a deal over Iran’s nuclear program.
“We’re at final moments. Can’t let them have a nuclear weapon.”
President Trump says “something’s going to happen very soon” with Iran as he pushes to negotiate a nuclear deal. pic.twitter.com/d8mNF3NpeV
— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 7, 2025
“There are two ways Iran can be handled, militarily or you make a deal,” Trump said on Fox. “I would prefer to make a deal because I’m not looking to hurt Iran. They’re great people. I know so many Iranians from this country.”
Khamenei responded, “The insistence of some bullying governments to negotiate is not to solve problems, but to impose their own expectations,” and added, “The Islamic Republic of Iran will definitely not accept their expectations.”
President Pezeshkian on Tuesday reiterated Khamenei’s message to Trump, and added, “You should be ashamed of yourself after what you did to Zelensky recently.”
However, on Sunday, as if matters were not complicated enough, Iran’s mission to the United Nations posted on social media: “If the objective of negotiations is to address concerns vis-à-vis any potential militarization of Iran’s nuclear program, such discussions may be subject to consideration.”
The seemingly conflicting statements may indicate a division among Iranian officials regarding whether to re-enter negotiations, following President Trump’s decision during his first term to withdraw the United States from the nuclear deal, signed by his predecessor, President Barack Obama.
A week after the Israeli attack on Iran in late October 2024, The Wall Street Journal published satellite images revealing the damage caused by the strike. The images show a missile production site in the Khojar district of the Tehran region, with before-and-after visuals of two buildings, clearly illustrating the extent of the damage.
The accompanying report cited an Israeli source who stated that the Israeli attack caused significant damage to both the Islamic Republic’s air defense system and its missile production capabilities.
It is widely believed that Israel is capable of inflicting serious damage to Iran’s nuclear sites as well, although to inflict a resounding impact would require US military collaboration.
