Iranian officials urge self-reliance and unity as Khamenei rejects US talks

Tehran will not wait for any letter from Washington and will instead rely on its own capabilities to reach a position where the US is forced to lift all sanctions, Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf told lawmakers in parliament on Sunday.

Iranian officials and media have threaded carefully on the issue of a letter that President Donald Trump says he sent to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei urging talks. Tehran has not even officially acknowledged or denied the receipt of a letter, but Khamenei in a speech on Saturday rejected negotiations. No one from within the ruling circles is expected to disagree with the Supreme Leader.

“Regarding the US president’s claim about negotiations with Iran, it must be said that his behavior toward other countries clearly shows that these statements are merely a deceptive display of "negotiation" aimed at forcing Iran into disarmament—something he has already endorsed in the US policy document,” Qalibaf said, clearly repeating Khamenei’s main line of argument from the day before.

He also repeated Tehran’s rhetoric since early February that negotiating under pressure of Trump’s renewed “maximum pressure” would be “dishonorable” for Iran.

“It is obvious that no negotiation conducted under the shadow of threats and with the agenda of imposing new concessions in exchange for lifting sanctions will lead to any real outcome, except the humiliation of the proud Iranian nation,” Qalibaf told the parliament.

On Sunday, ISNA, a state-controlled news agency, ran a lead article emphasizing the need for domestic unity in the face of Trump's threats and demands for negotiations. To reinforce its message about the urgency of speaking with one voice, the agency quoted President Masoud Pezeshkian. “Unity and cohesion are the first and last word. If we are divided, we will not be able to achieve our goals. We must join hands… We are capable of overcoming all challenges.”

Since Donald Trump's election and growing expectations in Iran that he would increase pressure, a debate has emerged over the need to resolve differences with the United States to lift sanctions and rescue Iran’s crippled economy. However, for the second time in a month, Khamenei has made it clear that he will not allow negotiations—at least as long as Trump maintains his maximum pressure policy.

However, claims by Qalibaf, Pezeshkian, and others that Iran will resist Trump’s demands and rely on its own capabilities seem more like an attempt to present an alternative to Khamenei’s rejection of talks rather than a viable strategy to escape the economic crisis. Meanwhile, Trump has openly threatened military action if Tehran refuses negotiations—a scenario in which it remains unclear whether the Islamic Republic has sufficient defensive capabilities.