Tehran has received an official letter from US President Donald Trump seeking to jump-start talks over Iran's rapidly advancing nuclear program although Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei rejected holding negotiations with the United States.
The letter was handed over to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi on Wednesday by Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the president of the United Arab Emirates.
While Araqchi and Gargash were meeting, Khamenei told a group of university students that Trump's offer for talks was "a deception,” state media reported.
"When we know they won't honor it, what's the point of negotiating? Therefore, the invitation to negotiate ... is a deception of public opinion," Khamenei was quoted as saying.
Khamenei said negotiating with the Trump administration, which he said had excessive demands, "will tighten the knot of sanctions and increase pressure on Iran.”
In 2018, Trump withdrew the US from Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and reimposed sanctions that have crippled Iran's economy. Tehran reacted a year later by violating the deal's nuclear curbs.
"If we wanted to build nuclear weapons, the US would not be able to stop it. We ourselves do not want it," Khamenei said.
He also warned against any military strike on Iran.
"Iran is not seeking war, but if the Americans or their agents take a wrong step, our response will be decisive and certain, and the one who will suffer the most harm is America," he said.
