Iran says it has received Trump’s letter from UAE official

A letter from US President Donald Trump to Iran’s clerical establishment has been delivered by Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the president of the United Arab Emirates, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson and state media says.

Trump, who said last week he had sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei proposing talks on a nuclear deal, has warned that “there are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily, or you make a deal” that prevents Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

The letter was given to Gargash by Trump’s Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff, who was in Abu Dhabi yesterday, Axios reports.

Khamenei, who has the final word in Iranian state matters, promptly responded that Tehran would not be bullied into talks with “excessive demands” and threats.

On Tuesday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran would not negotiate with threats hanging over its head, telling Trump in an outburst to “do whatever the hell you want,” Iranian state media reported.

Gargash met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi today, Iranian state media said. Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei did not give details about the meeting.

The UAE, one of Washington’s key Middle East security partners and host to US troops, also maintains ties with Tehran. Despite past tensions, business and trade links between The two countries have remained strong, with Dubai serving as a key commercial hub for Iran for more than a century.

While leaving the door open for a nuclear pact with Tehran, Trump has reinstated the “maximum pressure” campaign he applied in his first term as president to isolate Iran from the global economy and drive its oil exports towards zero.