Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Saturday he will not negotiate a nuclear deal with the U.S., citing demands about the country’s missile range and influence.
In a series of posts on X, Khamenei called the U.S. government “coercive,” claiming negotiations are only a means to impose new demands.
“Such negotiations aren’t aimed at solving issues,” Khamenei wrote. “Their aim is to exert their dominance and impose what they want.”
He added the “demands” relate to the country’s defense and international capabilities.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting in Tehran, Iran, July 7, 2024. (Iranian Leader Press Office/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
He also signed an executive action ordering the Department of Treasury to execute “maximum economic pressure” on Iran through a series of sanctions that would devastate the country’s oil exports.
The “maximum pressure” initiative against Tehran, which was enacted during the first Trump administration, issues greater sanctions and harsher enforcement for violations.
The president’s comments and Khamenei’s subsequent posts came days before Sunday’s 18th anniversary of the abduction of retired FBI Special Agent Robert “Bob” Levinson from Kish Island, Iran.
The FBI Washington Field posted Friday on Facebook, saying it “remembers Bob and his family every day” ahead of the anniversary and National Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day.
President Trump at AmericaFest in Arizona. (Rick Scuteri)
The FBI is still offering up to a $5 million reward for information that leads to Levinson’s location, recovery and return, according to the post.
The State Department’s Rewards for Justice program is offering a reward of up to $20 million for information leading to his location, recovery and return and information leading to the arrest or conviction of anyone responsible for his alleged abduction.
“As part of our ongoing efforts to resolve Bob’s case and hold the Iranian regime responsible for its role in Bob’s disappearance, we recently released seeking information posters featuring Mohammad Baseri and Ahmad Khazai, two senior Iranian intelligence officers who worked for Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security at the time of Bob’s abduction,” the agency wrote in the post.
Fox News Digital’s Diana Stancy contributed to this report.
