Iran stresses confidentiality in correspondence with US

B-2 Spirit bombers have arrived at Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia in Chagos Islands, a US Strategic Command spokesperson confirmed to Iran International earlier this week as Washington ramps up rhetoric against Iran.

In an apparent response to the deployment, a senior Iranian military official told The Telegraph, "There will be no distinction in targeting British or American forces if Iran is attacked from any base in the region or within the range of Iranian missiles."

“When the time comes, it won’t matter whether you’re an American, British, or Turkish soldier – you will be targeted if your base is used by Americans," the senior official was quoted as saying.

However, the Indian Ocean base is 3,800 kilometers from the Iran and Iranian ballistic missiles have a maximum range of 2,000 kilometers.

A British government spokesman on Saturday condemned Iran's threats in the strongest terms.

"The UK Government continues to work with partners across the region to encourage de-escalation. The base on Diego Garcia is vital to UK and US security and plays a crucial role in maintaining regional and international security," The Telegraph reported citing the spokesman.

The US military has deployed the B-2 stealth bombers along with C-17 cargo planes and 10 aerial refueling tankers in the last few days, defense industry outlet The War Zone reported on Wednesday citing satellite imagery.

The joint UK-US military base at Diego Garcia has previously been used to launch US strikes on the Middle East including Iraq and Afghanistan, with the deployment suggesting the potential for large-scale air operations in the region.

US President Donald Trump has in a letter to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei demanded Tehran come to a deal over its nuclear program or face a military intervention.

The Islamic Republic, in response, has rejected any negotiations on its ballistic missile program or regional allies, and any nuclear talks beyond the framework of the 2015 nuclear deal.

Meanwhile, the US military continues a bombing campaign on Tehran-aligned Houthi fighters in Yemen, warning that any attack by the Houthis would be treated as emanating from Iran.

Araghchi, widely seen as representing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s position, has stated in multiple interviews and statements that Iran’s current strategy is to engage with the US through intermediaries.

However, Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, former head of the Iranian parliament’s Foreign Relations and National Security Committee, told the conservative Nameh News website: “Trump will not accept negotiations through intermediaries.”

He also criticized President Massoud Pezeshkian for “lacking a clear foreign policy strategy,” arguing that while Trump appears to have a plan for every possible scenario, Iran’s president has yet to outline a vision for Tehran’s future relations with Washington.

Since Pezeshkian is widely known to have limited authority over foreign policy, the criticism may have been aimed at Khamenei, though the politician would not have dared to address him directly.

“Currently, Trump's plan is to force Iran to the negotiating table through maximum pressure,” Falahatpisheh said, adding that “diplomacy will have a chance if Trump moderates his stance.” He also made it clear that Trump seeks direct talks with Iran.

Falahatpisheh further noted that apart from some Persian Gulf states, most international players are focused on their own interests rather than easing tensions between Iran and the US. He pointed to the recent trilateral meeting between Iran, China, and Russia in Beijing, saying that both China and Russia were primarily advancing their own agendas rather than working to resolve Iran’s standoff with Washington.

Earlier this week, Khamenei's senior adviser Ali Larijani, as well as prominent economists in Tehran said that Iran needs to address its problems with the United States urgently in a bid to lift or reduce US sanctions and give the ailing economy a chance to grow after many years of crises and stagnation.

Iranian economist Mehdi Pazouki, an academic in Tehran told the press that Iran's economy is hostage to the country's failing foreign policy and Iran's inability to have amicable relations with the world.

Ali Ghanbari, another Iranian economist, told Iranian media that the country’s economy is under strain due to its foreign policy, which is not controlled by the Pezeshkian administration. Without explicitly stating that Khamenei, rather than Pezeshkian, oversees Iran’s foreign policy—particularly Tehran’s relations with Washington—Ghanbari described it as “a structural problem beyond the control of Pezeshkian’s government.”

Given this reality, Falahatpisheh outlined two possible scenarios for the future of Iran-US dynamics: “Either a war breaks out between Iran and Israel, with the United States carrying out precision strikes on targets in Iran—an escalation that would not stop there but spread across the region—or there will be no war, but additional countries will join the United States in its maximum pressure campaign against Iran.”

He noted that even China and Russia will cautiously support the United States in this case if Washington guarantees their interests.

Falahatpisheh noted that “Iran has not identified its opportunities in this situation or considered the consequences of what might unfold.” He blamed Pezeshkian’s passivity and inaction for the current state of affairs, suggesting that the president should begin the new year with concrete operational plans. Meanwhile, Pezeshkian’s stated approach has been to push forward Khamenei’s impractical vision of domestic investment as a path to economic recovery—without explaining how it would be implemented.

As inaction continues and unrealistic economic projections persist, the exchange rate for the US dollar in Tehran’s markets has surpassed one million rials. According to former Central Bank governor Mohammad Hossein Adeli, every Iranian household is effectively paying 180 million rials ($180) per month as a hidden cost of US sanctions. He warned that with each Iranian losing money to the sanctions’ impact on non-oil trade, the situation could become a serious security issue for the country before 2029.

According to the Qatari outlet quoting anonymous sources in Iran, Tehran responded “line by line” to Trump’s message, mirroring its tone and structure. The reply rejected demands viewed as unreasonable and emphasized that any talks on the nuclear file must be based on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and mutual respect.

Issues addressed by Tehran

The Iranian reply addressed four main areas: the nuclear program, missile and defense capabilities, Iran's ties with regional militant groups, and US threats of more sanctions and military action.

On defense matters, the response rejected any discussion of Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal, which Tehran considers non-negotiable. It also reaffirmed that its military capabilities are essential to national defense and not subject to external bargaining.

In the nuclear section, Iranian officials reiterated that they are open to talks, but only within the original terms of the 2015 JCPOA. They rejected any attempt to expand the scope of negotiations or impose new restrictions on the program, which Iran continues to describe as peaceful.

The letter also addressed regional issues, pushing back on US efforts to curb Iran’s backing of militant groups. “These relationships are based on bilateral agreements,” the sources said. “The allies are independent and do not take orders from us. Any agreement reached with these parties would be welcomed by Iran.”

This position had already been outlined publicly by Iran’s ambassador to Iraq, Mohammad Kazem Al-Sadegh, who said Thursday that Tehran’s support for what it calls the “axis of resistance” in Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen is non-negotiable. Iran has rejected US conditions seeking to limit its regional influence and missile program. “We only negotiate the nuclear file,” Al-Sadegh said, adding that such talks would only take place if Iran’s full rights were respected. “We do not negotiate our missiles. We do not negotiate our regional alliances.”

The final section of the reply responded to what Iranian officials described as threats included in Trump’s letter. In its reply, Tehran linked any future direct talks to a change in Washington’s tone. The letter said that dialogue would require “dealing with Tehran on the basis of respect, without threats or maximum pressure,” according to The New Arab.

Iran’s decision to send the reply through Oman, rather than the United Arab Emirates—which had delivered Trump’s original letter—was a deliberate one, The New Arab reported. Iranian sources said the move reflected Tehran’s trust in Oman’s longstanding role as a neutral mediator and a rejection of what it saw as an attempt to bypass established channels.

Iran reiterates policy positions in official comments

Iranian officials have since confirmed the delivery and broad content of the response. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Thursday that the reply had been conveyed “appropriately” through Muscat. He reiterated that Iran remains unwilling to engage in direct talks under what he described as maximum pressure and military threats. “Our policy remains not to negotiate directly with the United States under pressure,” Araghchi said on state television. “Indirect talks can continue, as they did in previous administrations.”

Senior Iranian figures also addressed the letter publicly during Friday’s Quds Day rallies. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf accused the United States of using nuclear diplomacy to push for Iran’s disarmament. “When the US says negotiation, it means disarmament,” he said. “No wise nation accepts talks under threat.”

Ali Shamkhani, former head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, described the response as “restrained” and confirmed it was prepared by multiple institutions. He said indirect negotiations remained possible, but only if conducted on equal terms. “If negotiations are based on parity, we are prepared to proceed,” he said.

Trump’s letter included a two-month deadline for reaching a new nuclear agreement, Axios reported.

The United States reimposed its maximum pressure campaign against Iran in February, seeking to reduce the country’s oil exports to zero and force a broader deal. Alongside calls for limits on Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, Washington has also demanded that Tehran scale back its support for armed groups in the region.

Speaking earlier this month, Trump said Iran would have to return to talks or face consequences. “They’re going to have to speak to us one way or another,” the US president told Fox Business. “We can’t let this happen.”

Suspected US airstrikes hit Yemen overnight into Saturday, reportedly killing at least one person, as the American military confirmed an earlier strike on a major military site in central Sanaa controlled by Houthi rebels, the Associated Press reported.

According to Houthi-affiliated media, American warplanes carried out 14 airstrikes each on the Yemeni capital Sanaa and the northern city of Saada, as well as several strikes in al-Jawf province.

While full casualty figures remain unclear, the group’s said one person was killed and four injured in Saada, describing the fatality as a civilian. However, such figures may downplay military losses, given the Houthis’ pattern of operating in civilian attire.

The escalation follows Houthi threats and attacks on maritime traffic Since 2023, which the group said were acts of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Between November 2023 and January 2024, Houthi forces targeted over 100 commercial vessels. The US and its allies restarted strikes in Yemen in mid-March after a brief lull.

Meanwhile, the US Treasury Department announced sanctions against five individuals and three companies accused of helping finance Hezbollah through oil smuggling operations tied to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force. The department described the network as a commercial front funneling millions of dollars into Hezbollah’s accounts under the oversight of senior financier Muhammad Qasir, who died in late 2024.

“These evasion networks strengthen Iran and its proxy Hezbollah and undermine the courageous efforts of the Lebanese people to build a Lebanon for all its citizens,” said Bradley T. Smith, Acting under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence in a statement.

The Treasury added that Washington's Rewards for Justice program is offering up to $10 million for information on Hezbollah’s financial infrastructure.

On the same day, Israeli warplanes struck a building in Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, for the first time since a November ceasefire. Israeli officials said the site was used by the Iran-backed group to store drones.

In Washington, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce defended the strike.

"The Government of Lebanon is responsible for disarming Hezbollah," Bruce told reporters. "The reason that any attacks have happened is because terrorists launched rockets into Israel from Lebanon. That is a violation of the cessation of hostilities."

"Israel has to respond as the United States would have to respond," Bruce said. "We stand by Israel."

The US push on multiple fronts highlights a broader effort to limit the influence of Tehran’s allies and proxies in the region.

US President Donald Trump recently sent a letter to Tehran giving Iran a two-month deadline for reaching a new nuclear deal, Axios reported citing one US official and two sources briefed on the letter.

"You've got a lot of stuff going on with Iran, and we sent a letter to Iran," Trump said this week. "You're going to have to be speaking to us one way or the other pretty soon, because we can't let this happen."

Trump has demanded Tehran come to a deal or face a military intervention and warned any attack by Yemen's Houthis would be treated as emanating from Iran.

Iran says it has responded to the letter through Oman.

Hossein Khosh-Eghbal said on Saturday that outdoor protests or sit-ins must have official permission. “We thank the security and police forces for enforcing the law and maintaining public order,” he said, adding that gatherings without a permit would face a legal response.

His comments came after some Iranian domestic media reported that police dispersed the sit-in on Friday, which coincided with Quds Day. Protesters had been camped outside parliament for several weeks, calling for the enforcement of Iran’s new and more restrictive hijab law.

The law, which increases penalties for violations of the country’s dress code, was passed by parliament in September but has not been implemented. Authorities delayed its enforcement in December following domestic opposition and international pressure.

Drafted in May 2023, less than a year after the Woman, Life, Freedom uprising sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini in September 2022, the law was introduced in response to widespread defiance of compulsory veiling by women and young girls.

Videos shared online appeared to show the protest site being cleared. In the footage, individuals identifying themselves as participants said they were removed by police, taken away and later abandoned near Behesht-e Zahra cemetery and the burial site of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, south of Tehran.

The crackdown has drawn mixed reactions. Some conservative figures criticized the move, while others aligned with the government welcomed the end of what they described as an illegal protest.

Khosh-Eghbal called on all political groups loyal to the Islamic Republic to avoid “divisive and unlawful behavior,” especially during sensitive times. He said demands should be expressed “wisely and within the legal framework,” and warned that unrest could be exploited by hostile groups.