The White House responded on Saturday to Iran’s rejection of proposed nuclear negotiations, reaffirming U.S. President Donald Trump’s stance that Tehran faces a choice between military action and a diplomatic agreement.
“We hope the Iran regime puts its people and best interests ahead of terror,” U.S. National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said following Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s response.
“The insistence of some bully governments on negotiations is not to resolve issues, but to dominate and impose their own expectations,” Khamenei said in a meeting with senior Iranian officials in Tehran on Saturday, Reuters reported, a day after Trump said he sent a letter to the Iranians asking to negotiate a deal.
“Talks for them is a path to have new expectations, it is not only about Iran’s nuclear issue. Iran will definitely not accept their expectations,” the ayatollah added.
Trump, in an interview with the Fox Business channel on Friday, said that his letter conveyed the message, “’I hope you’re going to negotiate, because it’s going to be a lot better for Iran.’
“I think they want to get that letter,” he continued. “The other alternative is you have to do something, because Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.”
Speaking to reporters on the same day in the Oval Office, Trump said that there would be “interesting days ahead” with respect to the Islamic Republic.
“We’re down to final strokes with Iran,” he said, using a golf metaphor. “We’re down to the final moments. We’re at final moments. Can’t let them have a nuclear weapon.”