Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf reaffirmed on Monday that Iran does not reject negotiations, but emphasized that any talks must serve the country’s economic interests, particularly concerning the nuclear agreement.

“If the Islamic Republic benefits economically from the nuclear deal, we will sit at the negotiating table,” Ghalibaf stated. However, he dismissed pre-determined conditions set by the United States, asserting that President Donald Trump’s approach does not constitute real negotiations.

Ghalibaf accused Trump of attempting to impose his conditions through force before demanding negotiations, a strategy Iran will not accept. He recalled that Trump had unilaterally and arrogantly withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) during his first term and had continued to issue executive orders against Iran in his second term, referring to the US policy of "maximum pressure" on Tehran.

His remarks echoed those of Iran’s Leader Sayyed Ali Khamenei who had previously warned that certain arrogant powers insist on negotiations not to resolve disputes, but to exert control and impose their demands.

Sayyed Khamenei warns of malice

Sayyed Khamenei previously emphasized that these nations use negotiations as a means to introduce new demands beyond the nuclear issue, including restrictions on Iran’s missile production, military capabilities, and international influence - all of which Iran categorically rejects.

"The US is threatening militarism. In my opinion, this threat is unwise," Sayyed Khamenei said during a Ramadan gathering with university students. "Iran is capable of retaliating and will definitely inflict a blow."

The remarks came as Iranian media reported that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had received Trump's letter, which was delivered by senior Emirati official Anwar Gargash. Sayyed Khamenei, however, noted that he had not personally received the letter yet but described it as an attempt to "deceive the world's public opinion" by portraying the US as open to dialogue while casting Iran as unwilling to negotiate.

"We sat down and negotiated for several years, and this same person threw the finished, completed, and signed agreement off the table and tore it up," Sayyed Khamenei said, referring to Washington’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal during Trump’s first term.

Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has called for a new nuclear deal with Tehran while reinstating his "maximum pressure" sanctions policy, citing concerns that Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons. Tehran has denied these allegations and has ruled out direct talks as long as sanctions remain in place.

Sayyed Khamenei reiterated this stance, stating, "Negotiations with the US will not lift sanctions… and will only tighten the sanctions knot."

On the nuclear issue, he stressed, "They claim they will not allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons. If we wanted to make nuclear weapons, America could not stop us. The fact that we do not have nuclear weapons and are not seeking them is because we ourselves do not want them."