Iran’s intelligence minister warns against US talks

Iran’s Intelligence Minister Esmaeil Khatib warned against yielding to calls for negotiations with the Trump administration, saying it could leave Tehran at a disadvantage.

"If these loud calls for negotiations, infatuation, fear, and panic dominate us, we will lose," Esmaeil Khatib said, while accusing the US of intensifying efforts to pressure Iran into what he labeled "imposed negotiations."

Iranian officials and media remain sharply divided on relations with Washington as Donald Trump is back in the White House. Reformist outlets like Jamaran News and Ham Mihan talk of the potential to mend ties, while hardliners such as Kayhan insist otherwise.

"The Americans will clearly intensify their efforts to pressure Iran and create conditions for imposed negotiations, resorting daily to seemingly attractive offers and both enticements and threats," he said, amid warnings from the US that the Trump administration will be taking a 'maximum pressure' approach on Iran, continuing its tough policies of the first administration.

The US cut diplomatic ties with Iran in 1980, following the formation of the Islamic Republic in the wake of the revolution.

"This is a key point to consider: Since the Islamic Revolution, the Americans have consistently talked about negotiation while acting in the opposite manner," Khatib said.

A shift is also apparent among Iranian conservatives, with figures like hardline politician and former diplomat Mohammad-Javad Larijani and lawmaker Javad Karimi Ghodoosi now advocating for talks.

"We have no restrictions ... if it's for the benefit of the system, even negotiating with the devil would be acceptable. We’d go to the depths of hell to negotiate with him," he said on state TV.

Earlier in the week, Ghodoosi said on X, "The Supreme Leader said years ago that cutting ties with the United States is not permanent and that when the time is right, he will personally announce it. This decision rests solely within the exclusive authority of the Leader of the Ummah."

During his first term, Trump enacted a series of measures to weaken Iran’s economy and diminish its regional influence, particularly targeting its nuclear program. He withdrew the United States from the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran. His policy became known as "maximum pressure."

Earlier in December, Trump's newly appointed Middle East advisor, Massad Boulos, announced that the incoming administration plans to revive its maximum pressure strategy against Iran, signaling a clear intent to reinforce the country’s isolation.