Khamenei slams “intimidation” after Trump threats Magic Post

Tehran:

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, criticized on Saturday what he described as intimidation tactics one day after US President Donald Trump threatened military action against Iran.

“Some intimate governments – I really know no more appropriate term for certain foreign personalities and leaders than the word intimidation – insist on negotiations,” Khamenei told officials after Trump threatened military action if Iran refuses to engage in interviews on his nuclear program.

“Their negotiations are not intended to solve problems, they aim for domination,” said Khamenei.

Trump said on Friday that he wrote to the supreme chief of Iran, urging new discussions on the country’s nuclear program or facing a possible military action if she refuses.

Khamenei said on Saturday that intimidation powers aimed to assert their own expectations.

“They define new expectations which, according to them, will certainly not be respected by Iran,” he said, without naming the United States or referring to Trump’s letter.

Friday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abbas Araghchi, told AFP in an interview that Tehran would not negotiate under “maximum pressure”, although he did not directly deal with Trump’s letter.

Trump restored his policy as soon as his first mandate of maximum pressure on Iran returned to the White House in January.

Under this policy, the United States in 2018 withdrew from the Iranian nuclear agreement officially known as the Complete Complete Action Plan (JCPOA).

The JCPOA, between the powers of Tehran and the West in 2015, had offered a relief of economic sanctions in exchange for limits of Iranian nuclear activities.

Tehran has joined in recent months in diplomatic efforts with three European countries – Great Britain, France and Germany – aimed at solving the problems surrounding its nuclear ambitions.

However, on Saturday, Khamenei also criticized the three European countries to “declaring that Iran has not respected its nuclear commitments under the JCPOA”.

“You say that Iran has not respected its commitments within the framework of the JCPOA. Okay, did you respect your commitments within the framework of the JCPOA?” He replied.

Khamenei said that Tehran had respected his commitments for a year, but there was “no other means” than to retreat from these under the law according to the parliament of the country.

US officials now believe that Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a few weeks if it chooses it.

Tehran has always denied pursuing nuclear weapons, highlighting the peaceful nature of its nuclear program.

Managers have always cited a religious decree issued by Khamenei who prohibits the development of these weapons.

Last month, Khamenei reiterated his opposition to negotiations with the United States, calling this “reckless” only a few days after Trump called for a new nuclear agreement.

Khamenei accused Washington of having “ruined, raped and torn” the 2015 agreement.