Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says the United States’ claim that it is ready to negotiate with Iran is aimed at deceiving the world public opinion.

The Leader made the comment on Wednesday during a meeting with thousands of students from across Iran and representatives of students’ associations, nearly a week after U.S. President Donald Trump said that he had written a letter to Ayatollah Khamenei, demanding that negotiations be re-opened.

The announcement by Trump, who began his second term in office on January 20 this year, came a month after he restored his “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran. Trump initially launched that campaign in 2018 after he withdrew the U.S. from the Iran deal.

In his address to the students during the Ramadan meeting in Tehran, Ayatollah Khamenei said that he has not yet received a letter from Trump, adding that the U.S.’s invitation for talks with Iran aims to deceive the world public opinion, as Washington wants to show that it seeks negotiations and peace, but Iran does not want that.

Explaining that why Iran is refusing to hold negotiations, the Leader said that the Islamic Republic “sat down and negotiated for several years”, but “this person” tore up the completed and signed agreement. He was referring to Trump who pulled the U.S. out of the Iran deal officially named the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was clinched in 2015 after years of talks between the Islamic Republic and the P5+1 group of countries namely the U.S., Britain, Russia, China, France, plus Germany.   

“What negotiations [should] we have when we know that he will not abide by? Therefore, the invitation for negotiations and stating it are to deceive the public opinion,” Ayatollah Khamenei said, warning that talks with the Trump administration will only increase pressure on Iran, without lifting the existing sanctions against the country.

“If the aim of talks is to lift the sanctions, negotiation with this U.S. government will not lead to the lifting of the sanctions, meaning that it will not remove them,” the Leader said in response to calls inside Iran for talks with Washington.

Negotiation with “this U.S. government will increase pressure” against Iran, as they will raise new expectations and new excessive demands, creating more problems, he further said, emphasizing “negotiations will not resolve any problem.”      

Ayatollah Khamenei also rejected the idea that Iran’s economic problems are solely blamed on the sanctions, saying that the country has already found many ways to neuter the measures. “Our own negligence” is blamed for most of the problems, he added.

Further in his speech, the Leader responded to the U.S.’s claims that it would not allow Iran to attain nuclear weapons.

“If we had intended to build nuclear weapons, America would not have been able to stop us,” he said, emphasizing that it is because of Iran’s own will to neither possess nor seek such weapons.  

And, in response to the U.S.’s threats of military action against Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei said that the threat is “unwise”, as waging a war against Iran would not be a one-sided blow against the country. Iran is able of dealing a reciprocal blow, and will definitely do that, he added.

“I even believe that if a wrong move is made by the Americans and their agents, they will be the ones who will suffer the most. Of course, war is not something good. We do not seek war. But if someone takes action, we will definitely give a decisive response,” the Leader noted.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Ayatollah Khamenei said that Iran is in a stronger position and continues to progress compared to previous year, contrary to the “superficial” view promoted by the enemies.

“Unlike the previous year, we by the grace of God have strengths and capabilities in various aspects”, the Leader said.  

He also touched on bitter and painful events in the West Asia region and the loss of prominent figures such as President Ebrahim Raisi, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, and others. Despite these losses, he stressed that the Islamic Republic continues to advance and grow stronger.

Addressing regional challenges, Ayatollah Khamenei underlined that the loss of influential individuals does not mean regression, as long as there is commitment to ideals as seen in the current generation which is “better and very good in terms of understanding the issues and being prepared to stand in the forefront.”

He also hailed the standard of universities, saying they are very different from those existed before the Islamic Revolution and even twenty years ago.

The Wednesday meeting took place on the 11th day of the holy month of Ramadan. The annual traditional gathering provided the students with a platform to engage directly with the Leader on national and other issues in an open and friendly atmosphere.

The event began with representatives from various student organizations presenting their opinions and suggestions on a range of topics including political, social, scientific, and cultural matters.