Khamenei said negotiating with the Trump administration, which he said has excessive demands, “will tighten the knot of sanctions and increase pressure on Iran”.
In 2018, Trump withdrew the United States from Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and reimposed sanctions that have crippled Iran’s economy. Tehran reacted a year later by violating the deal’s nuclear curbs.
Khamenei, who has the final word in Iranian state matters, said last week that Tehran would not be bullied into talks with “excessive demands” and threats.
The UAE, one of Washington’s key Middle East security partners and host to US troops, also maintains warm ties with Tehran. Despite past tensions, business and trade links between The two countries have remained strong, and Dubai has served as a key commercial hub for Iran for more than a century.
While leaving the door open for a nuclear pact with Tehran, Trump has reinstated the “maximum pressure” campaign he applied in his first term as president to isolate Iran from the global economy and drive its oil exports towards zero.
