Iraq struggles as US ends waiver for Iranian energy, official says

Iranian officials and media have threaded carefully on the issue of a letter that President Donald Trump says he sent to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei urging talks. Tehran has not even officially acknowledged or denied the receipt of a letter, but Khamenei in a speech on Saturday rejected negotiations. No one from within the ruling circles is expected to disagree with the Supreme Leader.

“Regarding the US president’s claim about negotiations with Iran, it must be said that his behavior toward other countries clearly shows that these statements are merely a deceptive display of "negotiation" aimed at forcing Iran into disarmament—something he has already endorsed in the US policy document,” Qalibaf said, clearly repeating Khamenei’s main line of argument from the day before.

He also repeated Tehran’s rhetoric since early February that negotiating under pressure of Trump’s renewed “maximum pressure” would be “dishonorable” for Iran.

“It is obvious that no negotiation conducted under the shadow of threats and with the agenda of imposing new concessions in exchange for lifting sanctions will lead to any real outcome, except the humiliation of the proud Iranian nation,” Qalibaf told the parliament.

On Sunday, ISNA, a state-controlled news agency, ran a lead article emphasizing the need for domestic unity in the face of Trump's threats and demands for negotiations. To reinforce its message about the urgency of speaking with one voice, the agency quoted President Masoud Pezeshkian. “Unity and cohesion are the first and last word. If we are divided, we will not be able to achieve our goals. We must join hands… We are capable of overcoming all challenges.”

Since Donald Trump's election and growing expectations in Iran that he would increase pressure, a debate has emerged over the need to resolve differences with the United States to lift sanctions and rescue Iran’s crippled economy. However, for the second time in a month, Khamenei has made it clear that he will not allow negotiations—at least as long as Trump maintains his maximum pressure policy.

However, claims by Qalibaf, Pezeshkian, and others that Iran will resist Trump’s demands and rely on its own capabilities seem more like an attempt to present an alternative to Khamenei’s rejection of talks rather than a viable strategy to escape the economic crisis. Meanwhile, Trump has openly threatened military action if Tehran refuses negotiations—a scenario in which it remains unclear whether the Islamic Republic has sufficient defensive capabilities.

"The insistence of some bullying governments on negotiations is not aimed at resolving issues but rather at asserting dominance and imposing their demands," Khamenei said in a meeting with Iranian officials in Tehran.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran will certainly not accept their demands," he added.

His comments followed Trump’s revelation that he had sent Khamenei a letter offering negotiations on Iran's nuclear program while warning that military intervention was the alternative.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday Tehran has not yet received Trump's letter to Khamenei.

Responding to Khamenei's rejection of Trump's call to negotiate a nuclear agreement, the White House on Saturday reiterated the US president's assertion that Tehran can be dealt with either militarily or by making a deal.

"We hope the Iran regime puts its people and best interests ahead of terror," White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said in a statement.

Lebanese pro-Iranian TV channel Al Mayadeen reported Saturday Tehran had refused to enter nuclear negotiations with the United States under the conditions set by the current US administration.

No talks on missile capabilities, regional influence

Khamenei said the West's issue is not just Tehran's nuclear program. "Rather, for them, negotiations are a means to raise new demands, including restrictions on defense capabilities and international influence."

"They set expectations such as 'Do not do this,' 'Do not meet with that person,' or 'Do not extend missile range beyond a certain limit.' These demands will certainly not be accepted or fulfilled by Iran."

While Tehran maintains that its ballistic missile program is purely defensive, the West considers it a destabilizing factor in a volatile, conflict-ridden Middle East.

'Shameless Europeans'

In his Saturday remarks, Khamenei also lashed out at European countries for criticizing Tehran's non-compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal, calling them shameless.

"Those three European countries are issuing statements, claiming that Iran has not fulfilled its nuclear commitments under the JCPOA! Someone should ask them: Have you fulfilled yours? You never did from the very beginning!"

Khamenei said the E3 (France, Britain and Germany) promised to compensate after Donald Trump withdrew Washington from the nuclear deal in 2018, but they broke their promise.

"Then you made another claim and broke that second promise as well. There should be a limit to shamelessness! How can someone fail to uphold their own commitments and then turn around and accuse the other side of non-compliance?"

Iran's Supreme Leader said the Rouhani administration at the time tolerated for a year, then the Parliament stepped in and passed a bill that effectively blocked the revival of the deal.

"There was no other way. And now, the same holds true: There is no other way to stand against coercion and bullying," he added.

Holocaust denial

Khamenei further criticized what he called the Western double standards on the free flow of information, saying that no one can mention slain IRGC Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, or Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, "protest the crimes committed in Palestine and Lebanon, or deny what Hitler is claimed to have done to the Jews on Western-run social media."

The leaders of the Islamic Republic have a long history of Holocaust denial and Holocaust revisionism.

Iran's former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad issued a number of statements claiming The Holocaust as is commonly accepted is "a myth" and "a lie".

Former President Ebrahim Raisi also cast doubt on whether the Holocaust happened in a 2022 interview with CBS News.

On January 20, 2022, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution that condemned the denial and distortion of the Holocaust. Iran was the only country in the world that condemned and rejected the resolution.

Although the report was published a day after President Donald Trump announced he had sent a letter to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, it makes no mention of the message.

The outlet cited an unnamed high-ranking Iranian diplomatic source who said that during his visit to Tehran last month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed Moscow’s willingness to facilitate nuclear negotiations with Washington through diplomatic channels.

Tehran told Lavrov that it would never engage in talks with Washington under the conditions imposed by the Trump administration.

President Trump revealed on Friday that he had sent a letter to Khamenei, offering negotiations while warning of military consequences if talks failed. Speaking to Fox Business Network, Trump said, “There are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily or through a deal. I would prefer to make a deal.”

Iran swiftly dismissed the letter, with an official outlet of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) calling it a psychological operation. Iran’s UN mission in New York also denied receiving any such communication.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov met with Iranian Ambassador Kazem Jalali to discuss international efforts to resolve issues surrounding Iran’s nuclear program, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Friday.

According to a Bloomberg report on Tuesday, later confirmed by the Kremlin, Russia has agreed to assist the US in communicating with Iran on various matters, including its nuclear program and support for regional anti-US proxies.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, "Russia believes that the United States and Iran should resolve all problems through negotiations" and that Moscow "is ready to do everything in its power to achieve this." The report was subsequently picked up by Russian state media.

Last month, prior to Russia's official offer of mediation, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Tehran, where both sides reportedly "aligned their positions" on the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the nuclear deal that unraveled following the US withdrawal in 2018.

Valizadeh, who was arrested in September last year after returning to Iran to visit family, was convicted of collaborating with a hostile government—a charge his legal team and international observers have strongly denounced.

In January, an Iranian appeals court upheld his sentence despite his lawyer arguing that the punishment is disproportionate to the alleged crime.

In a message from Evin Prison obtained by Iran International, Valizadeh said his hunger strike is in response to the Iranian judiciary's refusal to review key aspects of his case. He said that until the full scope of issues raised during interrogations and court proceedings are reconsidered, he will continue his protest.

“The public must know that the judicial process for political prisoners in Iran is hasty, lacks thorough examination, and leads to lengthy and unfair sentences,” he wrote.

Valizadeh was initially held in Ward 2A of Evin Prison, a section controlled by the IRGC Intelligence Organization, before being transferred to Ward 209, overseen by the Ministry of Intelligence.

His trial, held under Judge Iman Afshari, was widely criticized for its brevity and lack of due process. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, two years of internal exile from Tehran and neighboring provinces, and a travel ban.

Currently, he is being held in Ward 8, an area described as an “exile ward” known for its unsanitary and overcrowded conditions. According to sources, lice infestations, lack of medical care, and restricted access to family visits have worsened his situation. Additionally, he has been barred from granting legal representation to his family for handling personal affairs.

Valizadeh’s case has drawn international condemnation, with organizations such as Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists demanding his immediate release. The US State Department has called his arrest a violation of international law, but Valizadeh has criticized Washington for failing to take effective action beyond issuing statements.

Iran has been accused of hostage diplomacy, detaining foreign and dual nationals under vague security charges to use as leverage in diplomatic negotiations and receiving financial rewards. The European Parliament recently condemned this practice, calling for the release of EU detainees. Rights groups warn that such detentions often lead to prisoner exchanges for Iranians held abroad.

Speaking at an event marking new investments in the South Pars gas field, Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran had endured a difficult winter but managed to keep gas supplies flowing.

“We went through a tough winter,” Pezeshkian said. “Once again, I apologize to the people for power cuts and other issues. Naturally, we must also apologize to industries and producers because we could not fully support them.”

Turning to US sanctions, Pezeshkian dismissed Washington’s efforts to stifle Iranian fuel exports. “They try and say they will bring our fuel exports to zero, that we won’t be able to sell our oil,” he said. “I believe we must engage with a proper logic and not fight amongst ourselves. Their hope is in our internal divisions.”

President Trump announced on Friday that he sent a letter to Khamenei offering talks toward a deal on its nuclear program but warned that the alternative was a military intervention.

"I hope that Iran, and I've written them a letter saying, I hope you're going to negotiate because if we have to go in militarily, it's going to be a terrible thing for them," Trump said in a segment of the interview broadcast on Friday.

"There are two ways Iran can be handled, militarily or you make a deal. I would prefer to make a deal because I'm not looking to hurt Iran," Trump added. "They're great people. I know so many Iranians from this country."

Since returning to office, Trump has imposed fresh sanctions targeting companies and the so-called shadow fleet of older oil tankers transporting Iranian crude.

Despite US sanctions, Iran’s oil exports have generated more than $35 billion annually in recent years, primarily from sales to China. However, this revenue has not been enough to pull the oil-dependent economy out of the severe crisis it has faced since 2019.

Since early September, Iran’s national currency, the rial, has lost half of its value due to military and geopolitical setbacks in the region and Trump’s election, as he has pledged to significantly cut Tehran’s oil exports.

Pezeshkian praised efforts by Iran’s oil and gas sector to maintain household energy supplies but said the country must improve efficiency and expand renewable energy.

Pezeshkian announced a $17.5 billion investment in power infrastructure aimed at increasing sustainability and allowing more oil and gas to be sold abroad.

Iran needs $45 billion in investment to resolve its chronic winter energy deficit and worsening air pollution, the country's Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad said in January.

“If we can expand electricity use for heating and cooling, relying on wind and solar energy, then we can export our resources at far better prices,” said Pezeshkian.

Successive Iranian governments have struggled to meet soaring consumption, especially during colder months when power plants are forced to burn polluting fuels that compound the problem of air quality in urban areas.

Iran possesses vast reserves of natural gas, but rising domestic demand and lack of investment to maintain and expand the infrastructure means the country is often a net-importer of energy.