Iran has not closed the door to dialogue with the US, a senior advisor to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said on Thursday, though said the pressure being placed on Tehran amounts to what he called psychological warfare.
Kamal Kharrazi, who heads Iran’s Strategic Council on Foreign Relations and previously served as foreign minister, said: “Recent US behavior is psychological warfare—alternating between threats and offers of negotiation,” he said, referring to what he described as conflicting remarks from American officials and media coverage of a message sent by US President Donald Trump to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, earlier this month.
According to a report by Axios, the message from the US was described as “tough,” with a two-month deadline to reach a new nuclear deal and a warning of consequences if Iran expanded its nuclear program.
But Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, offered a more conciliatory version, saying the letter proposed peaceful dialogue and trust-building.
“They've reached back out,” Witkoff said in an interview last week, referring to indirect Iranian responses via multiple channels. “Trump believes this has a real possibility of being solved diplomatically.”
Kharrazi said such gestures appear designed to pressure Iran into accepting unfavorable terms. “This is not real negotiation—it is an attempt to impose one side’s will through coercion,” he said, adding that Iran’s experience with past agreements has made it wary of US commitments.
His remarks come after Iran’s foreign minister said direct talks with the US are currently impossible without major policy shifts. Iranian officials have acknowledged ongoing indirect communication through intermediaries, including Oman and European nations.
Last year, Kharrazi said Iran had the technical capability to build nuclear weapons but was restrained by a religious decree banning them. He warned that an existential threat could prompt a change in military doctrine.
