Iran and Trump Posture on Potential Negotiations
Contradictory signals about the possibility of renewed talks between Iran and the United States continue to surface.
Contradictory signals about the possibility of renewed talks between Iran and the United States continue to surface. Kamal Kharrazi, senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, insisted in an interview with CNN this week that Washington must take the first step if any diplomatic breakthrough is to occur. Kharrazi said Tehran is “eager to resume direct negotiations,” while stressing that Iran’s position remains exactly the same as it was before Israel’s attack on Iranian territory earlier this summer. He emphasized that “the United States must make the first move to show it is ready to engage under the conditions we define… based on equal footing and mutual respect.” Kharrazi added that Donald Trump “does not believe in diplomacy” and prefers coercion, underscoring Iran’s deep distrust of Washington’s intentions.
Kharrazi summarized Tehran’s position clearly: Washington must initiate any new talks, Iran’s position has not changed, the United States does not genuinely believe in diplomatic engagement, any negotiation would focus on the “level of enrichment” and not the existence of enrichment. He reiterated that uranium enrichment in Iran will resume, and that the missile program—currently expanding—will remain non-negotiable. Addressing Trump directly, he said: “Begin with a positive approach toward Iran. If it is positive, we will respond positively. But for this to happen, the United States must refrain from any use of force against Iran.”
Trump, speaking on November 18 at the White House while hosting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, claimed that “Iran does want to make a deal, I can say I think they very badly want to make a deal. I am totally open to it. We’re talking to them, and we started a process, but it would be a nice thing to have a deal with Iran. We could have done it before the war, but that didn’t work out…they may say something else, but they would very much like to have a deal.”
Trump’s comments during his joint appearance with Bin Salman further heightened controversy. He told the crown prince: “We removed the nuclear black cloud from your country. Its name was Iran and its nuclear capability, and we removed it quickly and powerfully.” He hinted that diplomatic developments could occur “this week.” These remarks came only hours after Iran’s Foreign Ministry again insisted that no negotiation process is underway.
Adding to the back and forth, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Seyed Esmail Baghaei rejected Trump’s assertions entirely, saying at a November 19 press briefing that “there is currently no negotiation process between Iran and the United States.” He added that there is no justification for negotiating with a party that openly boasts about military aggression against Iran and seeks to dictate its demands. Baghaei also dismissed reports that a letter from President Masoud Pezeshkian to MBS was linked to U.S.–Iran discussions, clarifying that the message merely expressed Iran’s gratitude to Saudi Arabia for services provided to Iranian pilgrims.
This dispute unfolds in the aftermath of the 12-day Iran–Israel war, after which Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi argued that “the first missile launched by the U.S. and Israel hit the negotiation table,” effectively collapsing diplomacy. Araghchi said the war demonstrated that Iran’s nuclear issue cannot be resolved militarily, and that renewed requests for negotiation with Iran have begun because Washington failed to achieve its goals through force.
Regarding the June attack, Araghchi acknowledged that Iran’s nuclear facilities were damaged, but emphasized instead that “facilities can be destroyed, but knowledge and resolve cannot be bombed away.” He argued that despite the attack, Iran has restored its capabilities, is now militarily stronger than before June 13, and that its strengthened defensive readiness now serves as a deterrent to further conflict.
Araghchi also emphasized that Iran has never abandoned diplomacy, while the United States has repeatedly violated it—first by quitting the 2015 nuclear deal despite Iran’s compliance, and later by launching military strikes just two days before the sixth round of negotiations. He insisted that the United States cannot obtain through negotiation what it failed to achieve through war, and that true diplomacy requires respect, reciprocity, and the end of coercive dictation.
Despite the public contradictions, the broader picture suggests that the diplomatic file remains open, that Washington and Tehran continue to signal through intermediaries, and that Saudi Arabia—through the MBS–Trump channel—may be assuming a growing role in shaping the trajectory of future U.S.–Iran engagement. Iran’s official position, however, remains unchanged: any reopening of talks requires a U.S. initiative, must be based on equality and mutual respect, and will be limited exclusively to nuclear issues, with enrichment rights and missile capabilities remaining strictly non-negotiable.