The United States is undermining its diplomatic overtures to Iran by making threats, a senior Iranian cleric said on Friday, a week after US President Donald Trump's demanded Iran strike a nuclear deal or face military attack.
The remarks represent another strong official rejection by the theocracy of Trump's bid for a renewed nuclear deal.
"Today, you can clearly and explicitly see threats coming from US leaders. In practice, they issue threats, while in words and writing, they call for negotiations, two completely contradictory behaviors," Tehran's Friday Prayer Imam Mohammad-Hassan Abutorabi-Fard told worshippers during his weekly sermon.
The senior cleric is appointed by Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and his speeches reflect official thinking. Khamenei again rejected Trump's diplomatic outreach in a speech on Wednesday.
Citing Iran's perceived resilience despite punishing military blows on Iran and its allies, Abutorabi-Fard said armed affiliates of Iran in the region remained strong.
"Today, Iraq, Palestine, Yemen, Lebanon, and the Hezbollah-led resistance axis stand as symbols of dignity in the face of infidels. This great achievement is the result of the Islamic Revolution, which has brought major victories for the Muslim community."
His criticism came after US President Donald Trump revealed that he had sent a letter to Khamenei which was relayed via the United Arab Emirates earlier this week.
Khamenei has not publicly responded to the letter but has repeatedly voiced skepticism over US intentions, arguing that past experience shows Washington cannot be trusted. In his speech this week, he said Washington's calls for negotiations are a tactic to deceive global public opinion.
"The US President saying 'we are ready to negotiate with Iran' and calling for negotiations is meant to deceive global public opinion," Khamenei said. He also questioned the value of engaging with the US, recalling Trump's 2018 withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal.
"We sat down and negotiated for several years, and this very person took the completed, finalized, and signed agreement off the table and tore it up," Khamenei added.
Despite rejecting threats, Iran has left the door open for indirect diplomacy. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday hinted at the possibility of engaging through Oman, though officials have maintained that Tehran will not negotiate under pressure.
"We reject talks under threats. Iran's dignity does not allow for submission," Araghchi said in an earlier statement.
US-Iran tensions have been steadily escalating. Trump signaled last week that the standoff has reached a crescendo, saying, "There are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily or through a deal. I would prefer to make a deal."
Khamenei said Iran would retaliate if attacked. "The United States is threatening militarization. This threat is irrational because war is not a one-sided blow; Iran is capable of retaliating and will certainly do so," he said.
As the standoff mounts, the UN's nuclear watchdog recently reported a sharp increase in Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium, though Tehran denies any intention of developing nuclear weapons. "If the Islamic Republic intended to build nuclear weapons, the United States would not be able to stop it," Khamenei added.