Iran's president refuses talks, tells Trump 'do whatever the hell you want'
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian has ruled out talks with the US "while being threatened", according to Iranian state media.
“It is unacceptable for us that they (the US) give orders and make threats. I won’t even negotiate with you. Do whatever the hell you want,” state media reported.
Iran said on Friday that it is not prepared to negotiate a new nuclear deal with the US, after President Donald Trump revealed he had sent a letter to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, asking for talks.
On Saturday, Khamenei reiterated his view, saying he would not be bullied into talks with the US as it exerts a "maximum pressure" campaign that was the hallmark of Trump's first tenure after he unilaterally withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal, or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
In an interview with Fox News on Friday, Trump said the letter was sent on Wednesday.
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“There are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily, or you make a deal,” Trump said. “I would prefer to make a deal because I’m not looking to hurt Iran. They’re great people.”
Trump said he hoped to negotiate a deal, reiterating what has become a classic carrot-and-stick approach to his diplomacy.
“If we have to go in militarily, it’s going to be a terrible thing for them,” he said.
“The other alternative is we have to do something because you can’t let them have a nuclear weapon," he added.
Iran denies that it is developing a nuclear weapon, but it has continued to enrich uranium to higher levels, particularly after the US withdrew from the JCPOA, killing the Obama-era deal with Iran.
Pressure on Iran
Trump has billed himself as a negotiator, and some of his moves could be read as attempts to ramp up pressure on Tehran to advantageously position the US for negotiations, but so far Iran hasn't taken the bait.
Since Trump's second tenure, the administration has shown it is willing to talk to any actor on the world stage, breaking US tradition.
Most recently, and controversially, the US opened up direct talks with Hamas over the fate of US captives in Gaza. Before the Hamas talks, the Trump administration also opened up talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the Ukraine war.
Iran has also made this list, with the Trump administration repeatedly saying they are open to talking to Iran, but finding no takers in the Islamic Republic.
Last Thursday, Reuters reported that Trump's administration is considering a plan to stop and inspect Iranian oil tankers at sea, invoking an international accord that aims to prevent the trafficking of weapons of mass destruction.
The Trump administration would use the 2003 Proliferation Security Initiative to try and clamp down on Iran’s oil exports - the main source of the Islamic Republic’s revenue.
Former and current US officials have been telling Middle East Eye for months that the Trump administration would look to choke Iran's oil exports. China is by far the main recipient of Iranian oil, much of it passing through the strategic Strait of Malacca in Asia.
In January, Reuters reported that China’s state-owned Shandong Port Group decided to start blocking tankers under US sanctions. Analysts described that move as a blow to Iran, whose ageing shadow fleet ships most of its oil to China.
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