Trump responds to Iran's reluctance to negotiate with US
Photo: Donald Trump, President of the United States (Getty Images)
The Trump administration responded to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s refusal to negotiate with Washington. The White House urged him to prioritize the interests of the Iranian people over terror, according to Reuters.
Brian Hughes, spokesman for the National Security Council, echoed Trump’s previous statement offering Iran the choice between negotiations or military action.
"We hope the Iran Regime puts its people and best interests ahead of terror," Hughes stated.
In an interview with Fox Business, Trump said, "There are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily, or you make a deal" to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Iran's nuclear program and US position
Having expressed openness to a deal with Tehran, Trump resumed the maximum pressure campaign he applied during his first presidential term to isolate Iran from the global economy and reduce its oil exports to zero.
During his presidency from 2017 to 2021, Trump withdrew the US from the historic agreement between Iran and major powers, which imposed strict limits on Tehran’s nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.
After Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018 and re-imposed sanctions, Iran violated and greatly exceeded these limits.
UN nuclear program head Rafael Grossi stated that time for diplomacy to impose new restrictions on Iran’s activities is running out, as Tehran continues to accelerate uranium enrichment to weapons-grade levels.
While Tehran claims its ballistic missile program is purely defensive, the West sees it as a destabilizing factor in the conflict-ridden Middle East.
Tehran’s demarche and Trump’s peace proposals
On March 7, Trump sent a letter to Tehran proposing negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program. The US President is convinced there are two ways to deal with Iran - military action or a deal.
However, Iran’s spiritual leader, Ali Khamenei, expressed reluctance to negotiate with arrogant nations and accused the US of a dictatorial and imposing policy.
Earlier, Trump expressed his intention to sign a new nuclear deal with the Middle Eastern country and reiterated his desire to avoid military action and strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
