Reactions in Iran to Trump's Proposal for a Nuclear Agreement Continue

Officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran continue to firmly express their opposition to any dialogue with the U.S. government, considering negotiations with Donald Trump as their 'red line.' In response to the revival of the 'maximum pressure strategy' by the U.S. President and his expressed interest in reaching an agreement with the Islamic Republic, Majid Khademi, head of the Intelligence Protection Organization of the Revolutionary Guards, claimed on Wednesday, February 13, that 'Donald Trump has demanded the collection of Iran's nuclear, missile, and conventional weapons programs.' This Iranian security official, whose reference to the U.S. President's statements is unclear, also claimed that 'Donald Trump has entered negotiations from a position of deceit and trickery.' In another part of his remarks, while reiterating the positions of Ali Khamenei, he called any negotiations with the U.S. President a 'red line for the Islamic Republic.' He also warned the United States that if it threatens Iran, the Islamic Republic will be ready to jeopardize U.S. national interests worldwide. The Iranian representative at the United Nations protested Trump's statements regarding the nuclear agreement. Recently, reports titled 'Donald Trump's Preconditions for Negotiating with Iran' have been raised by media close to the Revolutionary Guards in Iran. The news website 'Rajanews,' close to Saeed Jalili, also published a fabricated report citing the American media 'Wall Street Journal,' claiming that Mr. Trump has asked Iran to give the three islands in the Persian Gulf to the United Arab Emirates for an agreement. This media later deleted its article without any explanation. There is no credible source for the Revolutionary Guards commander's statements regarding Trump's preconditions for negotiations. In recent days, the U.S. President has repeatedly spoken about his willingness to reach an agreement with Iran. He emphasized in a press conference after meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu that his only demand is for Iran not to acquire a nuclear bomb and that he has no other restrictions in mind. However, it seems that a unified decision has formed among various political groups in the Iranian government regarding not negotiating with Donald Trump. Hossein Alaei, a former commander of the Revolutionary Guards Navy, criticized the U.S. President's approach in an interview with the Islamic Republic News Agency, IRNA, stating, 'If Trump had goodwill, he could have returned to the JCPOA with an executive order.' This political analyst, who has recently aligned more with the so-called reformist camp, speaks of Trump's return to the JCPOA while the U.S. President has repeatedly called this agreement the 'worst deal' he has ever seen. Alaei also stated that the Islamic Republic's foreign policy should shift from solely relying on the East to a 'balanced policy neither East nor West' and develop relations with Western countries. He further recommended, without providing more details, that 'the flag of negotiation should be taken from Donald Trump.' This political analyst also predicted that no significant event would occur between Tehran and Washington in the short term, but he believes that 'if Trump becomes discouraged from achieving his goal through increased pressure on Iran, the U.S. preconditions for negotiations may be set aside.' It is unclear what preconditions this former Revolutionary Guards commander refers to, as at least in recent days, Donald Trump has repeatedly emphasized that he has no preconditions for negotiations and his only demand is for Iran to prove that it has no intention of acquiring nuclear weapons.