Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says U.S. threats of military action 'unwise'
The Hindu
Iran's Khamenei criticizes U.S. threats, rejects talks, and warns of retaliation in response to Trump's letter.
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday (March 12, 2025) that U.S. threats were "unwise" after President Donald Trump sent him a letter urging negotiations and warning of possible military action if Tehran refused.
"The U.S. is threatening militarism. In my opinion, this threat is unwise," Mr. Khamenei said in a meeting with students. "Iran is capable of retaliating and will definitely inflict a blow."
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The remarks came as local media in Iran reported that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had received Mr. Trump's letter, which was delivered by senior United Arab Emirates official Anwar Gargash.
Khamenei, who noted he had not yet personally received the letter, said its invitation to talks was aimed at "deceiving the world's public opinion" by presenting the United States as ready to negotiate and Iran as unwilling.
"We sat down and negotiated for several years, this same person threw the finished, completed and signed agreement off the table and tore it up," he added, referring to Washington's withdrawal from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal during Trump's first term in office, which ended in 2021.
Since returning to the White House in January, Mr. Trump has called for a new nuclear deal with Tehran while reinstating his "maximum pressure" sanctions policy over concerns Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.
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