Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared that Iran would not engage in negotiations with the United States under threats, telling President Donald Trump to “do whatever the hell you want,” Iranian state media reported Tuesday.*
“It is unacceptable for us that they (the U.S.) give orders and make threats. I won’t even negotiate with you. Do whatever the hell you want,” Pezeshkian was quoted as saying.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reaffirmed on Saturday that Tehran would not be pressured into talks, following reports that Trump had sent a letter urging Iran to negotiate a new nuclear agreement.
While expressing willingness for a potential deal, Trump has reinstated the “maximum pressure” strategy used during his first term, aiming to further isolate Iran economically and curb its oil exports.
In a Fox Business interview last week, Trump stated, “There are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily, or you make a deal” to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
Iran has denied pursuing nuclear weapons but has significantly accelerated uranium enrichment to 60% purity, nearing the 90% threshold required for weapons-grade material, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Tehran’s nuclear advancements have intensified since 2019, a year after Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers and reinstated economic sanctions that have severely impacted Iran’s economy.
