Iran says won't sit for talks as long as Trump's maximum pressure is in place

In response to questions from Iran International about whether Germany, as a strategic partner of the United States, would cooperate with the White House and align with Washington’s pressure strategy, the spokesperson reaffirmed Berlin’s commitment to diplomatic engagement.

“In November 2024 and January 2025, together with our French and British partners, we conducted preliminary talks with Iran on the Iranian nuclear program, regional issues, and other issues of concern,” the spokesperson said.

Addressing recent US policy moves, the spokesperson added, “We have taken note of the National Security Presidential Memorandum that President Trump has issued. Over the last years, Germany has reduced its bilateral relations with Iran to a minimum. At the same time, we have been keeping channels of communication open. We are in contact with European partners, with the US, and with other partners regarding relations with Iran.”

While Germany and its European allies continue to prioritize diplomacy, tensions between Tehran and Washington are escalating. Speaking to a group of air force personnel in Tehran on Friday, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei firmly rejected negotiations with the US. “Negotiating with such a government should not be done; it is neither wise, intelligent, nor honorable,” Khamenei said, undermining both President Donald Trump’s call for a new nuclear deal and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s stated openness to talks with Washington.

Nevertheless, the Iranian government signaled its willingness to continue dialogue with Europe. “The government's strategy is to ensure a unified voice from Iran. While everyone is aware of the existing challenges, today more than ever, we need greater unity and solidarity to overcome these difficulties,” Iranian government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani wrote on X Saturday. She added, “Negotiations with European countries will continue, and it is well understood that Iran will not engage in talks if they are conducted dishonorably.”

Nevertheless, the US remains steadfast in its approach. “President Trump has been clear that the United States is committed to preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and expressed his willingness to discuss a deal with Iran,” a State Department spokesperson told Iran International. “If the Iranian regime does not want a deal, the President is clear, Iran will remain under the restored maximum pressure campaign.”

Germany confirms repatriation of dual national citizen's body

The German Federal Foreign Office also confirmed that its embassy in Tehran had worked “continuously over the past weeks to ensure the repatriation of Mr. Sharmahd's body to Germany.” A spokesperson told Iran International that the successful return was “the result of insistent diplomatic and consular efforts on several levels.”

Jamshid Sharmahd, a German-Iranian dissident, died in an Iranian prison while awaiting execution on charges of endangering national security. Iranian authorities claimed Sharmahd, who was abducted by Iranian agents in the UAE in 2020, died of a stroke before his scheduled execution. However, his family and human rights organizations have disputed these claims, citing the lack of transparent legal proceedings and credible evidence supporting his conviction.

Sharmahd’s daughter, Gazelle Sharmahd, confirmed to Iran International that German authorities informed her of the body’s return, though an autopsy is still required to confirm his identity. “Once that happens, we can say with certainty that it is my father,” she said, adding that the family plans to pursue legal action against Iranian authorities in Germany.

Implicitly referring to President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the JCPOA nuclear agreement in 2018, Khamenei said that “Negotiating with such a government should not be done; it is neither wise, intelligent nor honorable."

Trump reinstated his "maximum pressure" sanctions this week but also extended an olive branch, proposing a meeting with his Iranian counterpart and expressing hope that if an agreement ensures Iran abandons the pursuit of nuclear weapons, further sanctions would not be unnecessary.

A US State Department spokesman told Iran International on Friday that Iran will remain under the restored maximum pressure campaign unless it chooses to pursue a deal.

Most Iranian media outlets have reported Khamenei’s statements without commentary or analysis. As seen in previous instances reported by Iranian journalists, higher authorities—such as the Supreme National Security Council—may have directed the media to refrain from critical coverage of the speech.

Hardliner and ultra-hardliner media outlets and politicians, however, have insisted that Khamenei’s speech unequivocally banned any response to President Donald Trump’s proposal to hold direct negotiations with his Iranian counterpart.

"The Leader of the Revolution's stance on negotiations with the United States was stated in the clearest possible terms, leaving no room for alternative interpretations," the Revolutionary Guards-linked Javan newspaper wrote in an editorial Saturday.

The editorial also demanded that President Masoud Pezeshkian’s government urgently align with Khamenei’s directive “to safeguard national unity.” In fact, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghci announced on Saturday that he will follow the Supreme Leader's guidance in foreign policy.

In a social media post, an ultra-hardliner lawmaker, Mohammad-Mannan Raisi, issued a stern warning to those advocating for talks with the United States. “After His Excellency’s speech today, if they continue pushing their unrectified views and pressuring the Leader, we will no longer respond with mere speeches and commentaries,” Raisi wrote on social media.

On the other hand, supporters of direct US-Iran negotiations offered alternative interpretations of Khamenei’s remarks, suggesting they might not represent a complete rejection of talks. Some argued that Khamenei was merely emphasizing the need for clear outcomes, such as lifting sanctions, rather than engaging in futile negotiations.

In support of this view, proponents noted that Khamenei’s speech did not refer to the 2020 killing of Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad, an event often cited by hardliners to oppose dialogue with Trump.

Mohammad-Ali Ahangaran, a moderate conservative political analyst, interpreted Khamenei’s position as part of a broader negotiation strategy. “As a scholar in international law and political science, I see this as an element in ongoing negotiations,” Ahangaran wrote on social media.

Similarly, former reformist lawmaker Akbar Alami argued that Khamenei’s speech was a tactical move aimed at securing guarantees from Trump that any potential agreement would not be abandoned, as happened in 2018. Alami recalled that Khamenei had previously opposed negotiations during three speeches in 2012 and 2013, even as secret talks with the US were reportedly taking place in Oman.

During this period, Jake Sullivan, the former National Security Advisor to the US Vice President Joe Biden and William Burns, the Deputy Secretary of State under Barack Obama, reportedly held talks with Iranian representatives in Muscat.

Abdolreza Davari, a former aide to ex-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, suggested that Khamenei’s remarks were not a rejection of negotiations per se but a call for talks to focus on resolving Iran’s problems, particularly sanctions relief.

“Negotiation for its own sake, as seen during the tenure of [Saeed] Jalili [during Ahmadinejad’s presidency] has no outcome other than exacerbating the country’s problems,” he said in an x post, adding that Pezeshkian’s government must “define the requirements for wise, logical, or honorable talks” to prevent a similar outcome.

Paris-based political analyst Hamzeh Ghalebi also argued that Khamenei’s rhetoric implied that negotiations had not been ruled out. According to Ghalebi, Trump demands that Iran forgo nuclear and strategic weapons, while Khamenei seeks guarantees that such disarmament would not compromise Iran’s security and that sanctions would be genuinely lifted. “The first stage of negotiations has already taken place,” Ghalebi concluded.

"Yesterday, the Supreme Leader made a clear and explicit statement on negotiations, which defines the consensus," he said. "My expectation and demand are that the president and his government colleagues align their actions with these directives and move forward accordingly."

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf also acknowledged internal divisions on the issue, warning against framing the debate as a simple "yes or no" to negotiations within the country's political landscape.

He also touched upon Khamenei's comments from the previous day, in which the Supreme Leader dismissed the idea of talks with Washington, calling them neither “wise, intelligent nor honorable.”

“Negotiations with the United States have no impact on solving the country's problems. We must understand this correctly and not be misled into thinking that sitting at the negotiation table with that government will resolve certain issues. No, negotiations with the United States will not solve any problems,” Khamenei said on Friday.

Khamenei’s remarks directly challenged those, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, who had expressed openness to potential discussions with the US on a new nuclear deal.

Trump called for Iran's full disarmament in written message

Ghalibaf said the Trump administration has sent a written message to Iran calling for the full disarmament of the Islamic Republic.

“The issue is not nuclear anymore. They speak of nuclear, missile, conventional and unconventional weapons; these are meant to disarm the Islamic Republic.”

Since 2018, when Trump imposed fresh oil export and banking sanctions, Iran's economy has worsened dramatically. The decline has been further exacerbated by decades of mismanagement, corruption, and a focus on funding foreign conflicts rather than addressing domestic needs.

The national currency has plummeted by 95%, losing 22 times its value, while inflation has remained stubbornly high at around 40% for the past five years. Official estimates now suggest that over a third of the population lives below the poverty line.

Compared to the same period last year, when the dollar stood at 510,000 rials, the national currency has devalued by 75%.

The economic fallout from the rial's collapse has been profound. Consumer goods inflation in Iran has surged to approximately 50%, leaving more than one-third of the population below the poverty line.

“Negotiating with such a government should not be done; it is neither wise, intelligent nor honorable,” said the 85-year-old cleric during a meeting with air force personnel in Tehran.

“No problem will be solved through negotiations with the United States,” he added, despite calls by many insider politicians and commentators in Tehran to open negotiations with the United States to ease sanctions.

"We must understand this correctly; they should not make it seem to us that if we sit at the negotiation table with that government, this or that problem will be solved. No, no problem will be solved through negotiations with the United States."

Meanwhile, the US State Department told Iran International on Friday that the Trump "maximum pressure" sanctions on Iran would remain unless a deal was reached.

Although President Donald Trump reaffirmed his sanctions strategy earlier this week, he left the door open for an agreement, saying that he preferred a diplomatic resolution.

Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran's relatively moderate president, has expressed tentative openness to talks, contrasting with Khamenei's firm stance.

Over the past five years, tens of millions of Iranians have experienced a steady decline in living standards, as wages have failed to keep pace with rising prices. Since the reintroduction of US sanctions in 2018, the rial’s value has plummeted more than twentyfold. The iannual inflation rate has hovered at around 40% for the past five years.

Basic living costs have become unattainable for many, with the average worker’s monthly earnings shrinking to the equivalent of $135 from $ 200 earlier this year, while official data estimates $500 is necessary to cover basic needs.

Speaking to a group of air force personnel in Tehran on Friday, Khamenei dismissed the idea of talks with Washington, saying, “Negotiating with such a government should not be done; it is neither wise, intelligent, nor honorable.”

His remarks seemed to undermine both US President Donald Trump’s call for a new nuclear deal and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s stated willingness to engage with Washington.

Araghchi thanked Khamenei for his guidance and said, "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in fulfilling its core duties and based on the three principles of dignity, wisdom, and expediency, will utilize all available capacities to advance a comprehensive, active, and effective foreign policy. This will be aimed at safeguarding national interests and security, as well as enhancing the country's strength and stature through political and diplomatic engagements."

The three principles Araghchi cited are the same ones Khamenei has used to justify rejecting negotiations with Washington.

Khamenei also accused the US of betrayal regarding the 2015 nuclear deal, from which Trump withdrew in 2018, reinstating the "maximum pressure" policy earlier this week despite signaling a preference for a new agreement.

In response to Khamenei’s speech, Araghchi said that his words, as always, serve as a guide for government officials, particularly within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“His Excellency’s recognition of our efforts is a source of pride, but it further heightens our critical responsibility in advancing the lofty goals of the system in the realm of diplomacy and foreign policy,” Araghchi said.

Khamenei has the final say in all state matters, but specially regarding the country's foreign policy and control of the military.