Tehran has rejected US statements that warned Washington could resort to military option to curb Iran’s nuclear program.
In an interview with Fox Business Network, broadcast on Friday, Trump said he had sent a letter to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, urging Iran to reopen negotiations. “I said I hope you're going to negotiate, because it's going to be a lot better for Iran,” Trump said, before warning Tehran of potential military action.
In response, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, addressed the issue during his weekly press conference on Monday, stating that the US threats are considered violations of international law and acts of aggression. “The threat of force is prohibited under international regulations and constitutes a criminal act,” he stressed.
The spokesperson added: “Negotiation under pressure and threats is meaningless, and Iran will never accept such terms.”
Baghaei said that while such threats have persisted in various forms over the years, they have only been met with steadfast resistance from the Iranian people.
He accused US politicians of using a policy of bullying, adding that Iran “has never refused to negotiate ... will never accept negotiations under pressure.”
Asked on Monday if Russia had held consultations with Iran before or after Tehran responded to a letter from Trump urging the country to negotiate a nuclear deal, the Kremlin said Iran formulates its own policy positions.
Late on Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on social media platform X, that his country would not negotiate under “intimidation.”
“We will NOT negotiate under pressure and intimidation. We will NOT even consider it, no matter what the subject may be,” he wrote.
Araghchi’s comments contrasted with a statement delivered by the Iranian mission to the United Nations on Sunday and which suggested Tehran might be willing to discuss certain issues if the objective of negotiations is to address concerns vis-a-vis any potential militarization of Iran’s nuclear program.
Baghaei denied the presence of any disagreement between Iranian officials over negotiations with Washington. He told reporters that the position of Iran’s foreign ministry is clear. “The statements made by Iranian foreign ministry officials reflect our position very clearly,” he said.
Analysts assert that Iran is forced to negotiate with Trump, especially after the “Axis of Resistance” has suffered setbacks such as the collapse of Hamas, the weakening of Hezbollah, and the fall of the Assad regime.
Regarding the continuation of talks with the European Troika (France, Germany and the UK), Baghaei said: “Another round of our talks with Europe will be held in March before the end of this year, at the expert level.”
He said talks with three European countries, in addition to Russia and China, are ongoing, namely on the nuclear issue, “and we have no restrictions on our talks with the Europeans.”
Regarding Europe's possible move to activate the snapback mechanism, the spokesman said: “We do not see any justification for activating this mechanism, and it seems that other parties are now convinced that using this tool will not achieve any goals.”
Baghaei then criticized the International Atomic Energy Agency, accusing its director general, Rafael Grossi, of making statements that were “politically motivated and only fuel tensions.”
Grossi has said that time is running out for diplomacy to impose new restrictions on Iran's activities, as Tehran continues to accelerate its enrichment of uranium to near weapons-grade.
Meanwhile, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson condemned the US decision to revoke Iraq’s sanctions waiver for purchasing Iranian electricity, calling it illegal.
Baghaei said that the United States will bear responsibility for the consequences of this decision because failure to extend the exemption granted to Iraq represents a violation of law and are considered crimes against humanity.
“These unilateral sanctions have no legal or juridical justification. The US government must be held accountable for such actions,” he said.
Trump's administration on Saturday rescinded a sanctions waiver that since 2018 has allowed Iraq to pay Iran for electricity as it presses on with its “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran, a State Department spokesperson said.
