Bezheskian to Trump: Now that you are threatening, I will not negotiate with you at all

Masoud Bezheskian, in response to Donald Trump's statements about sending a letter to Ali Khamenei for negotiations with the Islamic Republic, says he is not willing to negotiate due to Trump's threats. The President of the Islamic Republic of Iran on Tuesday, March 21, stated that "it is unacceptable for him that America threatens and orders him," addressing Trump: "I will not come to negotiate with you at all, do whatever you want." He further referred to the controversial meeting ten days ago between the Presidents of the United States and Ukraine at the White House, saying: "It is really embarrassing what (Trump) did with Zelensky." Bezheskian stated that Iran must have relations with the world and that the Islamic Republic's intention is not to be "angry" or "fight." He said: "If negotiations are based on dignity, respect, and mutual interests, we will sit down and talk, but the language of threat and force is absolutely unacceptable for us." Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, also stated on March 18 that Tehran will not negotiate under pressure and threats. These remarks came a day after Trump, in an interview with Fox News, which aired excerpts on March 17, said he wanted to negotiate about Iran's nuclear program and had sent a letter to Ali Khamenei. Trump also told reporters at the White House hours later that "very, very soon things will happen" regarding Iran, "interesting days are ahead," and "we have reached the final moves regarding Iran." However, Abbas Araqchi, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic, told AFP that as long as the United States applies its "maximum pressure" strategy against Iran, Tehran will not resume nuclear negotiations with the U.S. A month prior, Trump had expressed his willingness to meet with the President of Iran to encourage Tehran to abandon its efforts to obtain nuclear weapons after signing a presidential memorandum to revive the "maximum pressure" policy against Iran. Iran has always denied seeking to produce nuclear weapons. However, the International Atomic Energy Agency has warned that Tehran has significantly increased uranium enrichment to 60%, which is close to the 90% required for nuclear weapons production. Meanwhile, the leader of the Islamic Republic explicitly rejected negotiations with the Trump administration in a speech in Bahman. After that, Masoud Bezheskian, shifting from his previous positions during the elections, deemed negotiations with the United States out of the question. On the other hand, reports indicate that Russia is mediating between Iran and the U.S., and the Kremlin has confirmed that Iran's nuclear program will be part of U.S.-Russia negotiations. Dmitry Peskov, the spokesperson for the Russian presidency, told reporters on March 15 that from Russia's perspective, resolving all existing issues surrounding Iran's nuclear program through political-diplomatic means is the "best solution." This comes after Shinzo Abe, the then Prime Minister of Japan, brought a message from Donald Trump to Ali Khamenei during his trip to Tehran in June 2019, which ultimately proved fruitless. According to reports, the then U.S. President had asked Abe to convey his willingness to engage in dialogue with Iran to the leaders of the Islamic Republic.