As Leader reminded, US lacks sincerity, talks under coercion futile: Ex-diplomat

By Alireza Hashemi

A former Iranian diplomat and international relations analyst says the US is not a genuine negotiating partner and engaging in talks under coercion would be a futile exercise.

Mohsen Pakaeen made the remarks in an interview with the Press TV website, providing an assessment of Iran's nuclear policy following the recent Israeli-American aggression.

He described the Trump administration as a purely transactional actor, seeking immediate concessions while deferring reciprocal gestures.

“We believe Trump is not a man of dialogue. He is a man of deals, seeking one-sided gains and promising reciprocal actions only on credit. We will not accept that path,” Pakaeen said, invoking recent remarks by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

Addressing a gathering of sports and science medalists in Tehran on Monday, Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized that any negotiation whose outcome is determined through coercion cannot be considered a true dialogue, but imposition, dismissing US President Donald Trump’s anti-Iran rhetoric as part of Washington’s broader strategy of pressure and intimidation.

The remarks triggered an avalanche of reactions, with netizens praising the Leader's unshakeable resolve in confronting US policies and his steadfast opposition to American bullying.

Speaking to the Press TV website, Pakaeen asserted that Washington's objective is to impose its demands on Tehran through a mix of “soft and hard” coercion: sanctions and diplomatic pressure on one hand, and the constant threat of military action on the other.

Washington and its European partners, he said, sought to keep the option of so-called "snapback" sanctions alive and embolden the Israeli regime to resort to another military adventurism against the Islamic Republic.

“They tried both hard and soft tools, and they failed,” he noted, adding that Tehran views the snapback mechanism and related Western pressure tactics as illegitimate and will not be coerced into concessions by threats of renewed measures.

Ayatollah Khamenei's words a strategic masterstroke

Pakaeen framed Ayatollah Khamenei’s recent remarks, in which he dismissed claims that Iran’s nuclear infrastructure had been destroyed, as a measured strategic response that undercuts Western attempts to manufacture urgency and pressure.

Pakaeen said Western governments and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have sought to know the current status of Iran's nuclear program following the recent aggression.

He added that it reflects significant anxiety in Washington and Europe, a worry that Ayatollah Khamenei’s short, precise reply to Trump urging him to ‘keep dreaming,’ only amplified.

“That concise, clever response increased their ignorance and denied them an excuse to intensify coercion,” Pakaeen told the Press TV website.

On Iran’s nuclear policy, Pakaeen stressed that the stance is principled and rooted in religious and ethical considerations, and that the Islamic Republic will not pursue an atomic bomb.

He said this position has been repeatedly stated by the country 's top leadership and has a clear jurisprudential basis.

At the same time, Pakaeen emphasized that Iran will fully use its nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, including energy, medicine, agriculture, water, and industrial applications, and retain a sovereign technological capacity.

“We are not seeking a bomb,” he said, “but we will use our nuclear capability for peaceful ends and for the development of the country.”

He also underscored that Iran’s deterrent posture does not rely on nuclear weapons, noting that Tehran has invested heavily in advanced conventional capabilities, specifically ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial systems, which he said provide credible deterrence.

Iran's technological self-sufficiency and future path

Pakaeen said Iran will continue its path toward progress in the face of Trump’s pressure tactics.

He pointed to Iran’s remarkable technological advances since 1980s Imposed War era, when even basic battlefield supplies were imported.

Today, he said, Iran manufactures a wide spectrum of military and civilian technologies domestically.

The former diplomat highlighted indigenous missile and drone production, and comprehensive domestic capacity across land, air, and sea systems, and the ability to export technical know-how to friendly countries.

On the nuclear front, Pakaeen noted Iran’s enrichment capabilities, saying Tehran can enrich uranium up to 60 percent, a technical benchmark that serves civilian and industrial uses and underlines Iran’s mastery of the fuel cycle.

He stressed that this nuclear know-how is now deployed across all critical civilian sectors, health, agriculture, the environment, nanotechnology, and industry, meaning Iran no longer depends on foreign suppliers for critical technologies.

Pakaeen asserted that the path ahead for Iran lies in continued technological self-reliance, firm resistance to coercive diplomacy, and maintenance of credible conventional deterrents that eliminate the need for nuclear arms.

“We will not barter our principles under pressure,” he said. “We will continue to develop, to deter, and to engage on our own terms.”

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk