Iran denies receiving Trump’s letter on nuclear talks with Khamenei

Iran’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations has denied receiving any communication from US President Donald Trump to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei regarding negotiations on Tehran's nuclear program.

A representative from the mission clarified this to the TASS correspondent, stating they had not received such a letter, Caliber.Az reports.

In an exclusive interview with Fox Business on March 7, President Trump revealed that he had sent a letter to Iran's leadership, hoping to initiate talks on peacefully dismantling its nuclear program. "I said I hope you're going to negotiate because it's going to be a lot better for Iran," Trump remarked. "I think they want to get that letter. The other alternative is we have to do something because you can't let another nuclear weapon."

Although Trump confirmed sending a letter, the White House has declined to specify whether the letter was directly addressed to Khamenei. The Iranian Supreme Leader has previously dismissed the idea of re-entering negotiations to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, which has deteriorated in recent years following the failure of both the US and Iran to uphold its terms.

Iran holds Trump accountable for the collapse of the agreement after his withdrawal from it in 2018 during his first term. His move to re-impose severe sanctions on Iran isolated the country further, as many nations complied with the US’s punitive measures.

Trump’s remarks come as tensions in the Middle East continue to escalate, with growing global concerns over Iran’s nuclear ambitions. While he did not disclose the specifics of the letter, his comments echo his earlier "Maximum Pressure" policy used during his first term. This approach focused on tightening sanctions and applying heavy diplomatic pressure on Iran.

On February 7, Khamenei said that it is impossible to negotiate with the United States, as it has already deceived his country once. As the republic's leader recalled, Washington signed the nuclear deal in 2015, failed to fulfil its terms, did not lift anti-Iran sanctions and unilaterally terminated the agreement in 2018. 

Meanwhile, the latest reports from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have raised alarms about Iran's nuclear activities. The IAEA’s findings suggest that if Iran were to increase its uranium enrichment to weapons-grade levels (90% purity), it could potentially produce enough material for four to five nuclear weapons within a month, according to the Institute for Science and International Security.

By Tamilla Hasanova