Iran rejects direct nuclear talks with US after Trump letter

TEHRAN — Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian announced Sunday that Tehran has rejected direct negotiations with the United States over its nuclear program, responding to a letter from President Donald Trump delivered via Oman.

“We don’t avoid talks; it’s the breach of promises that has caused issues for us so far,” Pezeshkian said during a Cabinet meeting, broadcast on state television. “They must prove that they can build trust.”

While ruling out direct talks, Pezeshkian left the door open to indirect negotiations. However, diplomatic progress remains stalled since Trump’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear agreement in his first term and his renewed “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran.

The Iranian president’s statement marked Tehran’s first official response to Trump’s letter, in which the U.S. leader urged Iran to return to talks — or face severe consequences.

In a comment aired by NBC News on Sunday, Trump said: “If they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing and it will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before.”

Tensions between the two nations have sharply escalated amid continued hostilities in the region, including U.S. airstrikes on Houthi positions in Yemen and Israel’s offensive in Gaza. Iran has also launched recent missile attacks on Israel, though they caused minimal damage.

Pezeshkian, elected six months ago on a platform of engaging the West, initially favored dialogue. But his tone hardened following a February speech by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who dismissed talks with Trump’s administration as “neither intelligent, wise, nor honorable.”

Tehran’s rejection of direct talks comes as its uranium enrichment nears weapons-grade levels. A recent UN nuclear watchdog report confirmed accelerated enrichment to 60% purity — far above the 3.67% limit set by the 2015 deal.

Trump’s letter to Khamenei, dated March 12, reportedly warned of a military option if Iran refuses negotiations. The gesture recalled Trump’s earlier diplomacy with North Korea, which yielded no disarmament deal despite high-profile meetings.

The U.S. administration has not officially responded to Iran’s rejection, but Trump has signaled he is prepared to escalate both militarily and economically if Tehran refuses to comply. — Agencies