TEHRAN – President Donald Trump claimed he sent a letter to the leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah has expressed interest in seizing Ali Khamenei and attacking deals with Iran through its nuclear program.
“I wrote a letter saying I hope you will negotiate,” Trump said. When asked when he sent a letter to (imam), Khomeini, the founder of the long-time head of the Islamic Republic, at the moment he raised his eyebrows, Trump claimed it was “yesterday,” meaning Wednesday.
However, an unnamed American official later told Al Jazeera that the letter had not yet been sent “written.” It came after Iran’s mission to the United Nations said the country had not received such a letter.
This is not the first example of the US president’s writing, but in this case he claims he wrote it to Iranian leaders. Former President Barack Obama wrote two letters to Ayatollah Khamenei, but Trump himself commissioned former Prime Minister Shinzo Abbey, during his 2019 visit to Tehran. Ayatollah Khamenei refused to receive the letter, and Trump informed Abe that he did not consider Trump a “valuable” interlocutor.
This is also not the first example of Trump saying he wants to do business with Iran. He has issued this statement since 2018, when he withdraws from the Joint Comprehensive Action Plan (JCPOA). The 2015 agreement was negotiated by Iran, the US, the UK, Russia, China and Germany for at least two years, trading restrictions in Iran’s nuclear program for sanctions relief. Trump’s re-challenges of the JCPOA waiver and sanctions not only undermined the agreement, but also urged European countries to later enact their own embargo, despite the fact that they remained official signatories in the end.
On the same Thursday, Trump told Fox anchor he wanted to negotiate with Iran. So Bescent vowed that the second term of the president’s anti-Iran sanctions would become even more serious. “We intend to shut down Iran’s oil sector and drone manufacturing capabilities,” Bescent said, adding that the administration also intends to block access to Tehran’s international financial system.
Several Iranian officials have repeatedly said Iran would not engage in consultations under pressure in recent weeks, following instructions from Ayatollah Khamenei, who described negotiations with the US in early February as “wise, intelligent and dishonorable.”
The deep-rooted distrust of the United States of Iranians is rooted in decades of American interference in Iranian issues, particularly during the Pahlavi era. However, Ayatollah Khamenei’s stance has been particularly strengthened since Trump pulled Washington out of the JCPOA. The fact that the president continues to threaten Iran with sanctions and military actions does not help ease Tehran’s concerns either.
Letters weaponized before they are sent
In a business interview with Fox, Trump said his main concerns are preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons. However, his decision to withdraw from the JCPOA – exposing Iran’s nuclear facilities to unprecedented international scrutiny and forcing them to roll back some of their progress – suggests that other priorities are playing. As the directive in February revealed, Trump’s real goal is to force Iran to cut its missile programmes and cut ties with regional resistance.
Analysts argue that publishing the letter before it reaches the intended recipient would primarily help advance Trump’s own interests, rather than reflecting a true desire for honest diplomacy. Given Iran’s long-standing resistance to sanctions, it is clear that propaganda and media manipulation alone cannot force the country to negotiate. Iran also remains refusing to negotiate military capabilities, and sustaining or strengthening Western pressures may ultimately force it to rethink its nuclear doctrine.
Furthermore, there is no guarantee that Trump’s potential military options against Iran will achieve the desired outcome. Washington may lack the ability to destroy all of Iran’s fortified, dispersed nuclear sites, but a catastrophic response from Tehran is almost certain.