Iranian leader says he won’t accept demands by “bully countries” after Trump claim

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei remains the ultimate decision maker as inspectors warn that Iran’s nuclear centrifuges can create enriched uranium that could power a weapon © FT montage/AP/Handout

Iranian leader says he won’t accept demands by “bully countries” after Trump claim

Axios-March9th2025

Barak Ravid

Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei said on Saturday that his country will not accept the demands of “bullying countries”.

Why it matters: Khamenei’s comment seemed to refer to President Trump’s claim he sent a letter to the Iranian leader about a possible nuclear deal.

Khamenei didn’t mention Trump by name and didn’t confirm he received a letter from the U.S. president.

What they are saying: “Some bullying countries insist on talks not to resolve issues but to impose their demands…we will certainly not accept their demands”, the Iranian leader said in a meeting with senior officials.

Khamenei said Iran will not accept demands to cap Iran’s defensive capabilities by limiting the production of weapons or its missiles’ range.
He also said Iran won’t agree to demands to cut ties with other groups in the region.

Driving the news: President Trump said an interview with Fox Business Maria Bartiromo that will air in full on Sunday that he sent a letter on Wednesday to Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei and stressed that he wants to reach a deal on the country’s nuclear program.

The president told reporters in the Oval Office on Friday that the coming days “will be interesting” when it comes to Iran.

“We are down to final strokes with Iran. We are down to the final moments. We can’t let them have a nuclear weapon. Something is going to happen very soon. I would rather have a peace deal than the other option but the other option will solve the problem,” he said.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional statement