Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian insisted on Wednesday that the country would not yield to external threats after US President Donald Trump mooted the bombing of its adversary earlier this week.
In a sign of growing internal debate, Massih Mohajeri of the Jomhouri Eslami newspaper sharply criticized officials and media figures who brand supporters of negotiations as “infiltrators” and “dishonored elements”, describing this stance as “utterly against freedom of expression.”
Despite Khamenei’s strong opposition to talks with the United States, some Iranian officials and media have continued to discuss the possibility of negotiations.
Though Mohajeri—personally appointed by Khamenei as the paper’s editor—did not name specific targets, his remarks were widely interpreted as aimed at ultraconservative lawmakers and Kayhan, another newspaper funded by Khamenei.
Mohajeri argued that such individuals and media outlets oppose the principles and teachings of Islam and cannot persuade public opinion to reject negotiations.
Meanwhile, Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref reinforced Khamenei’s stance against talks with the Trump administration.
"Both sides should benefit from transactions, but I believe there is no profit in dealing with the United States. Trump has shown that he is not trustworthy," he said, adding that "Trump may be trusted only if he is reformed, and that is unlikely to happen."
Kourosh Ahmadi, a former Iranian diplomat who served at Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York, highlighted what he called a disinformation campaign by Iranian officials aiming to distort Trump’s message to Tehran. He also dismissed as “meaningless” the claim that negotiations are tantamount to surrender, arguing instead that maintaining a tough stance can compel the other side to retreat or modify its position.
Ahmadi added that as it has been stated in a White House document issued last week, "the fact that negotiation has become a taboo in Iran is not understandable."
He said that the National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM) signed by Trump is aimed at "restoring maximum pressure on the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, denying Iran all paths to a nuclear weapon, and countering Iran’s malign influence abroad."
He further characterized Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf's statement, that alleged Trump wishes to disarm Iran, as disinformation and fake news and added that only the text that has been signed by Trump should be considered as his and the White House's official view.
However, he noted, "During the first two weeks after his inauguration, Trump created some hope for the start of negotiations with Iran. I have no idea what led to the unexpected shift in his position." Ahmadi suggested that Trump's approach might have been a negotiation tactic, similar to his dealings with Mexico and Panama, where he initially took an aggressive stance but softened his tone once he saw signs of agreement from the other side.
Despite perceptions in Tehran that Trump has taken a harsher stance toward the Islamic Republic, his position remains unchanged from his first term. This time, however, he has balanced his renewed “maximum pressure” strategy with a stronger emphasis on seeking peace through diplomacy.
The former Iranian diplomat urged officials to consider Trump's memorandum and the White House statement within a broader context to avoid being misled. He also cautioned those influenced by the disinformation campaign, emphasizing that "proper decision-making requires accurate information."
In his editorial, Mohajeri emphasized that the Iranian constitution grants everyone the right to express their views, including on negotiations with the United States. However, he reiterated that "Khamenei is the one who has the final say about relations with the United States" and criticized Trump’s approach, stating, "The US president spoke arrogantly and put forward irrational expectations."
"If the US president gives up his arrogant rhetoric and speaks modestly with Iran, then the roads to negotiation are open," he concluded.
"Trump stands at the podium and says, 'I want to negotiate,' but on the other hand, he is closing all the doors," Pezeshkian said during a speech in Bushehr province on Wednesday.
"He takes every decision necessary to cripple us, issues orders, and pressures the world to prevent dealings with Iranians. If you are truly a man of negotiation, then why do you do these things?"
On February 4, Trump signed a directive reviving his so-called maximum pressure policy on Iran from his first term aimed at driving the Islamic Republic's oil exports to zero. After signing the memorandum, he said he would prefer a deal with Tehran to an Israeli attack on their nuclear sites.
"I would love to make a deal with them without bombing them," he said on Fox News.
Pezeshkian, however, said “Iran will not back down or surrender in the face of any threat," in a sign that the Iranian political establishment -- from the president’s relatively moderate government to the ultra-conservative clerical establishment -- has coalesced against Trump’s hoped-for deal.
He also condemned efforts to limit Iran’s defense capabilities, saying, “They demand we abandon missiles and military strength so they can repeat what they did in Gaza, but they should know Iran will never surrender to such pressures.”
Earlier in the day, Iran’s Supreme Leader praised Pezeshkian for rejecting talks with the United States and said Tehran must continue its military progress after Trump’s threat to stop Iran's nuclear program by force.
"The president said what needed to be said," Ali Khamenei said, addressing defense officials on Wednesday.
Following a few weeks of ambivalent signals regarding negotiations and a struggle in Tehran's political scene, Khamenei finally voiced his clear opposition to negotiations on February 7, saying talks with the US are "not smart, wise, or honorable."
'Trump is America's deal-maker-in-chief'
White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt on Wednesday said Donald Trump "has made it very clear that he will never allow Iran to have nuclear capabilities."
"That is a red line that he has drawn, and he will not allow that to happen."
Asked why Trump wants to reach a deal with Tehran instead of helping overthrow the Islamic Republic, Leavitt said, "He is the master of the art of the deal. He is America's deal maker in chief. He leads from a position of securing peace through strength."
While Leavitt did not answer the question about putting an end to the clerical establishment in Iran, Trump has publicly announced he does not aim for a regime change in Iran and only wants to prevent the country from acquiring nuclear weapons.
