Trump and Iran already at loggerheads?
Iranian reactions to Donald Trump's "maxim pressure" campaign against Iran.
On Tuesday 5th February 2025, US President Donald J. Trump signed a presidential memorandum reinstating the “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran, as reported by IRNA (Islamic Republic News Agency). However, he also said:
I want Iran to be a great and successful country, but one that cannot have a nuclear weapon.
I would much prefer a verified nuclear peace agreement, which will allow Iran to grow and prosper peacefully.
We will see whether or not we can arrange or work out a deal with Iran.
And on Friday 8th February 2025, he reiterated:
I would like a deal done with Iran on non-nuclear. I would prefer that to bombing the hell out of it.
…as quoted by Al Mayadeen.
Iranian officials responded with a flurry of statements. For instance, last Tuesday Iranian Vice President Mohammad-Reza Aref said that the Iranian government currently has no plan to either “meet or negotiate” with Donald Trump, adding:
We are not seeking war at all, but we will defend ourselves vigorously and procure the equipment we need.
…as per IRNA. Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), stated (all emphasis mine):
Trump has said that Iran should not have nuclear weapons; Iran had no intention of obtaining nuclear weapons, does not have and will not have.
Our approach is clear, Iran's peaceful energy program is within the framework of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
…as reported by Al Mayadeen, which also quoted Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi as saying:
If the main issue is that Iran does not pursue nuclear weapons, then this is achievable.
Araghchi was cited also by IRNA, first on Tuesday 5th February…
The maximum pressure [policy] is a failed experience, and trying it again will lead to another failure.
Iran is a committed member of the NPT and its positions on this matter are quite clear.
…and then on Wednesday 6th February 2025 (all emphasis mine):
In addition to being a party in good standing to the NPT and other global non-proliferation instruments, Iran has already made abundantly clear that “under no circumstances will Iran ever seek, develop or acquire any nuclear weapons”.
Smart people ought to choose “maximum wisdom” instead [of maximum pressure].
It is not difficult to reach practical assurances that Iran will not have nuclear weapons, provided that objective guarantees are also provided that hostile measures against Iran - including economic pressures and sanctions - will be effectively terminated.
Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said:
Our country’s foreign policy has always been rooted in a series of fixed principles.
We follow three fixed principles: the dignity of the country and its people, wisdom and strategic foresight, and, of course, expediency.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian issued the following statements, as per IRNA (all emphasis mine):
War is not to our benefit; we are not seeking nuclear weapons. This is the fatwa of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution.
The doctrine of the Islamic Republic rejects the massacre of innocent people under any circumstances.
Unfair media around the world continue to label Iran every day as a source of tension in the region. They talk about human rights, but almost 14,000 children were killed in Gaza, women got killed, and hospitals were destroyed before the eyes of people across the world.
Tranquility will be attained through justice and fairness, equality, brotherhood and friendship, not war and bloodshed.
Referring to Donald Trump’s oil export threats, Pezeshkian was quoted by Al Mayadeen as saying:
They think that everything we do depends on oil so they can stop it, while there are many other ways.
We are a powerful country, and our reserves and resources are exceptional in the world.
The United States is sanctioning us, but if we manage our own resources, we will solve our problems.
They think everything we do depends on oil and they want to stop it.
The oil export threats were followed up a few of days ago by Donald Trump’s first sanctions package, targeting 3 Iranian ships, “one very large crude carrier and two Aframaxes”, involved in crude trade with China, as well as “multiple businesses and persons from other countries involved in the transaction, acting on behalf of Tehran's Armed Forces General Staff and its sanctioned front firm, Sepehr Energy Jahan Nama Pars” (source: Al Mayadeen).
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei issued a statement calling the new sanctions “entirely illegitimate” and “in contravention of international rules and regulations”, adding (source: IRNA):
The Iranian government holds America liable for the consequences of such unilateral acts and bullying.
The Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, had his say too.
Yesterday, Saturday 8th February 2025, Iran celebrated the 46th anniversary of the historic pledge of allegiance by the Homafaran and Air Force personnel to Ayatollah Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini. On its eve, i.e. on Friday 7th February 2025, Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of Iranian Armed Forces, met with a large group of the commanders and staff of the Air Force and Air Defense Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army. Here are some excerpts from his speech from Khamenei.ir and Al Mayadeen (all emphasis mine):
The focus of these discussions is negotiations with the United States, and they speak of negotiations as a good thing, as though anyone is opposed to negotiation itself being good.
[Referring to diplomatic efforts in negotiating and signing agreements with all countries worldwide] The only exception in this regard is the US. Of course, we do not count the Zionist regime as an exception because this regime is basically not a government at all but rather a criminal and land-usurping gang.
Some pretend that if we sit at the negotiating table [with the Outlaw US Empire], it would solve certain problems, but the reality that we must correctly understood is that negotiations with the US does not have any effect on solving the country’s problems. The reason? Experience!
[Referring to the 2015 nuclear deal] In this treaty, the Iranian side was very generous, giving many concessions to the other side. But the Americans did not implement the same treaty. The same person who is in office now tore up the treaty. He said he would tear it down and he did; they didn't abide by it.
Our government at the time sat with them, went back and forth and engaged in negotiations, laughed, shook hands, acted friendly [towards them], and did everything, and an agreement was formed in which the Iranian side, with great generosity, granted many concessions to the other side. However, the Americans did not honor that very agreement.
The US sanctions that were supposed to be terminated were not terminated. And regarding the United Nations, they left a festering wound, a constant threat hanging over Iran.
Two years of negotiations, granting concessions, making compromises, yet achieving no results.
Therefore, negotiating with such a government is neither rational, nor intelligent, nor honorable, and [we] should not engage in negotiations with it.
Of course, they also comment about us, talk, and issue threats.
If they threaten us, we will threaten them. If they carry out their threat, we will carry out our threat. And if they disrupt the security of our nation, we will definitely disrupt their security as well.
[Referring to the historic pledge of allegiance by the Homafaran and Air Force personnel to Imam Khomeini] The heroic action of those youths determined the course of the new Army and led the various branches and personnel of the Army, inspired by that pledge of allegiance, to join the nation.
The organization, weapons, and training of the Army were American, and even key appointments and the manner of using armaments were done based on the permission of the Americans. The extent of the dependency was so large that Iranians were not even allowed to open or repair parts.
According to Capitulation, which was accepted by all the Pahlavi officials from top to bottom, no American was to be prosecuted in Iran regardless of the crime. [Referring to Ayatollah Khomeini’s speech in October 1964 against Capitulation as a protest against the humiliating American dominance over the Army and the country].
Notice that Khamenei said that Iran “should not engage in negotiations” neither with Little Satan (a.k.a. Israel) nor with Great Satan (a.k.a. the Outlaw US Empire).
Speaking to a gathering of commanders and staff from the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Chiefs of Staff yesterday, Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf, Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, seemed to agree with Khamenei and sent a message to the Iranian President and government, as reported by IRNA:
The Supreme Leader of the Revolution yesterday adopted a transparent and clear position about… negotiating, and the president and cabinet members should definitely advance matters in accordance with the statement of the Leader of the Revolution.
In this atmosphere, we should not create two opposite poles and turn people into supporters and opponents of negotiating.
Trump is Martyr Soleimani’s murderer. And the Leader… saying that negotiating with America is not honorable… it is in fact so.
However, yesterday evening Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi seemed to suggest that the Iranian government is open to negotiations, though not under Trump’s “maximum pressure policy”, thus not exactly in line with Khamenei. Here is what he said, as reported by IRNA and Al Mayadeen:
Lifting the sanctions requires negotiations, but not under the maximum pressure policy. Negotiation cannot be carried out from a weak stance, as it will no longer be considered negotiation, but will be a kind of surrender. We never go to the negotiating table this way.
Finally, yesterday Khamenei met with head and members of the leadership (Shura) council of Hamas, whose chairman, Mohammad Ismail Darwish, said:
We take the coincidence of the days of the Gaza Resistance’s victory with the anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution as a good sign, and we hope that this concurrence will pave the way for the liberation of al-Quds and al-Aqsa Mosque.
Khalil al-Hayya, deputy head of Hamas’ political bureau, added:
Today, we have come to meet you while all of us stand with our heads held high, and this great victory is our shared victory with the Islamic Republic.
Here are some statements from Khamenei, as reported by Khamenei.ir and Al Mayadeen (all emphasis mine):
The Almighty God granted you and the people of Gaza honor and victory and made Gaza an instance of the noble verse that says: “How many [times] a small party has overcome a larger party by Allah’s will!” (Holy Quran 2:249). You prevailed over the Zionist regime and, of course, over the United States, and by God’s grace, you did not allow them to achieve any of their goals.
The fruit of all these sufferings and sacrifices was ultimately the victory of truth over falsehood, and the people of Gaza became a role model for all those devoted to the cause of Resistance.
[It is] necessary to plan for cultural works and continue the current path of PR works alongside military affairs and the reconstruction of Gaza.
It is precisely because of this faith that the Islamic Republic and the Resistance Front do not feel weak in the face of their enemies.
[Referring to US threats] Such threats have absolutely no effect on the mindset of our nation, our officials, and the country’s active figures and youth.
For us, Palestine is a central issue, and the victory of Palestine is also a definite matter.
Rather, one must move forward with the strength of faith and hope, and remain confident in Divine assistance.
By God’s grace, the day will come when all of you, with absolute honor, have solved the issue of al-Quds for the Islamic world, and that day will certainly arrive.
I will conclude this long article with the news that earlier this week the IRGC unveiled its new Shahid Baqeri drone carrier, now deployed in the Persian Gulf, after the inauguration ceremony in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas last Thursday, 6th February 2025.
The warship is a 180-meter-long mobile platform, with a range of 22,000 nautical miles, capable of operating in distant waters for a year without refuelling and “capable of deploying multiple drone squadrons, launching and recovering unmanned combat aircraft, and operating various reconnaissance and strike drones” (source: IRNA).
It “is equipped with air defense systems, including short- and medium-range missiles, as well as intelligence equipment and a flight control tower. It also can deploy guided subsurface vessels and long-range cruise missiles” (source: Al Mayadeen).
The IRGC Navy Commander [Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri] was quoted by IRNA as saying that, “[i]n addition to its military capabilities, the Shahid Baqeri warship is equipped with specialized medical facilities, including an operating room, a coronary care unit, radiology and dental services. It also enjoys sports facilities, including a multi-purpose sports hall and a gym”.
On a very final note, yesterday Admiral Shahram Irani, commander of the Iranian Navy, while in Karachi (Pakistan), stressed the importance of bilateral ties with Pakistan, which is holding the Aman 25 naval exercises, for which the “Iranian Navy has deployed a floating unit and a special operations team”, as reported by Al Mayadeen. The ninth edition of the Aman naval drills, which commenced on Friday 7th February 2025 in Karachi, has brought together naval forces from over 60 countries under the theme “Together for Peace” and it aims to enhance regional and international cooperation to maintain maritime security, build capacity, foster mutual understanding, and combat threats such as terrorism and transnational crimes at sea. Great Satan and Little Satan have been warned!
America has NO diplomats. Do these people even know how to do diplomacy..........all they can do is bully.
Every time countries are bullied/sanctioned they make treaties with other Countries. ie The Alliance between Iran and Russia and now Pakistan. China/Russia and BRICS countries..
The time of western hegemony and Empire is over.
Time to get some decent intelligent people in US/ and other Western Governments.
I like what them Iranians say, 'you fuck with us, we'll fuck with you.' Damn straight!