Ghasemi: We Are Not Afraid of Negotiation, It Is Unlikely Trump Is Willing to Negotiate

The spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, in response to the U.S. President's proposal for a meeting with the Iranian President, stated that the Islamic Republic is not 'afraid of negotiation' but it is 'unlikely that Trump is willing to negotiate.' Bahram Ghasemi, in an interview with ISNA published on Tuesday, August 7, discussed the possibility of a meeting between the two presidents in New York, saying that due to U.S. actions, including the reinstatement of sanctions, 'such paths seem blocked.' He also announced that 'Iran is a capable country and is not afraid of dialogue.' Ghasemi further stated that 'it is unlikely that Trump is willing to negotiate; he follows a contradictory and different policy every day and is more of a joker.' He also mentioned that Donald Trump 'optimistically' wants to signal to Israel and some allied countries that U.S. policy 'is reversible' and aims to gain 'more concessions' from them. Ghasemi assessed Trump's proposal as part of a 'designed psychological war' by the U.S. against Iran and confirmed the analysis that he intended to 'put the ball in Iran's court' with this proposal. Trump emphasized that Iran's economic situation is rapidly deteriorating and predicted that Iranian officials would soon enter negotiations with the U.S. However, Iranian officials have rejected the U.S. proposal. In this interview, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson also denied reports about the upcoming visit of the North Korean Foreign Minister to Tehran being related to negotiations with the U.S. Ghasemi stated that he was not aware of the letter from the IRGC commander to Trump and added that 'there is a unified perspective in the country's diplomacy regarding global and regional issues.' Regarding the message of the IRGC commander's letter, he said: 'I cannot interpret the message of the esteemed commander of the IRGC and have no interest in entering into an interpretation of its contents. Those who need to receive the message have probably received it.' Following the U.S. President's proposal for unconditional negotiations with Iranian leaders, a week ago, Mohammad Ali Jafari, the IRGC commander, wrote in a letter that Donald Trump and future U.S. presidents 'will never see such a day' and 'the people of Iran will not allow a meeting with the Great Satan.' Ali Motahari, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, wrote in a letter to Jafari that the IRGC should abide by the decisions of the system's senior officials regarding negotiations or lack thereof.