TEHRAN – Iranian officials on Sunday gathered behind a statement by the leaders of the Islamic Revolution, and Ayatollahs sang Ali Khamenei.
“The sustainability of some bullying governments that want to be negotiated is not about solving the problem, but about impose their own expectations. The Islamic Republic of Iran will undoubtedly reject their demands,” Ayatollah Khamenei said on Saturday. It has expressed his willingness to sign a contract with Iran with the nuclear program after Trump told the American media that he had sent a letter to the leader. Iran says he has not received such a letter, but an unnamed American official later said that a message had been written to Al Jazeera but had not been sent.
Trump withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Action Plan (JCPOA) in 2018 and reimposed anti-Iran sanctions lifted under the deal. He appears to want more from Iran than the restrictions the JCPOA has imposed on nuclear activities, promoting concessions on domestically developed missile and drone programs, closely linked to regional resistance. Iranians have repeatedly said that the country’s military capabilities and alliances are indisputable. They also continue Israeli invasions in the region, pointing to the regime’s prominent long-term threats of Iran.
Iranian lawmakers, including Congress Speaker Mohammad Bakar Karibah, said in their latest session they would not wait for Tehran to receive a letter from Washington. “The clearest thing is that under the ghost of threats, it will not lead to the elimination of sanctions on the US agenda, which involves removal of sanctions and new concessions,” Qalivaf adds, “I believe that the vast internal capabilities and the opportunity to promote diplomatic relations with other countries are to remove any position that can deny Iran. jcpoa.”
Iran is currently engaged in consultations with European signatories with nuclear deals (France, Germany, UK) discussing a variety of issues, including the JCPOA’s lame condition.
After decades of US sanctions, Tehran hone the art of avoiding or neutralizing them. However, the currency market remains susceptible to external developments. Iranian rial has worsened inflationary pressures within Iran and fell to a record low against the dollar in February after Trump renewed its “maximum pressure” campaign through an enforcement order.
The directive aims to bring to zero oil exports, which is Iran’s most important source of revenue. However, within a month of signing, Iran’s oil sales reached its highest level since 2018. Analysts suggest that the US should run out of pressure tools on Iran and that Iranian authorities must prioritize strategies to isolate the economy from currency volatility. The government is expected to announce policy decisions on inflation control in the coming years for Iran, and numerous solutions have been reportedly proposed.
Military officials also placed emphasis on Trump’s negotiation proposal. Major General Abdulrahim Musavi, commander of the Iranian army (Arteshes), told Al Mayaden, “a reasonable person will not accept negotiations under pressure and sanctions.”
Former President Hassan Rouhani, who oversaw the signatures of the JCPOA in 2015, told a Lebanese media outlet that the US “failed to achieve its political and international objectives” against Iran. Gholamreza Mesbahi Moghaddam, a member of Iran’s Comfort Identification Council, said consultations with Washington under the current circumstances would only cause harm.
Trump says if Iran refuses to attack the deal he wants, he will “bomb hell” abroad. Regional analysts and leaders warn that such actions are not limited to potential damage to Iran’s nuclear facilities, but will unleash periods of catastrophic regional instability.
In a call on Sunday, President Masoud Pezeshkian told Norwegian Prime Minister that Iran has been working consistently to prevent a major fire in the region despite repeated Israeli provocations. However, he emphasized that Iran would not hesitate to defend its sovereignty and interests. The president further stated that Israel was trying to deny Iran’s nuclear program, but he repeatedly said that it would remain peaceful under the religious order (fatwa) issued by Ayatollah Khamenei.