Iran’s Supreme Leader Slams U.S. Nuclear Talks Proposal

Iran’s supreme leader said that negotiations with the United States “are not intelligent, wise, or honorable” after former President Donald Trump floated the possibility of nuclear talks with Tehran.

Although Khamenei stopped short of issuing a direct order against engaging with Washington, his remarks disrupted months of signals from Tehran to the U.S. indicating a willingness to negotiate. I Photo: Khamenei.ir Wikimedia Commons

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also stated, “There should be no negotiations with such a government,” Associated Press (AP) reporter Jon Gambrell reported.

Although Khamenei stopped short of issuing a direct order against engaging with Washington, his remarks disrupted months of signals from Tehran to the U.S. indicating a willingness to negotiate over its rapidly advancing nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of billions of dollars in economic sanctions.

Following his speech, the Iranian rial plummeted to a record low of 872,000 rials per U.S. dollar in aftermarket trading. What happens next remains uncertain, as Reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian had pledged just a day earlier to begin dialogue with the West.