Kamal Kharrazi, the 80-year-old Head of the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, said Iran is not opposed to negotiating with the United States but insists on mutual respect and equality as prerequisites, as IRNA quoted him on February 26.

The older official stressed that Tehran would only engage in talks under conditions that enable "real negotiation" rather than impose demands. "Negotiations under coercion amounts to surrender," he added.

He said that under the current "maximum pressure" campaign of sanctions and unilateral demands, "there is no choice but to exercise maximum patience."

The senior Iranian official explained that "Trump's method is to dictate unilaterally and expect others to simply follow his orders. We see this approach even today regarding Europe, but this method is not compatible with the spirit of Iranians and revolutionaries."

"The Americans must show their readiness for negotiations based on mutual respect and the principle of equality. In that case, negotiation would be possible; however, the conditions for negotiation with the United States are not ready."

"If the other side respects equality and reciprocal esteem, negotiations become possible. But until then, the conditions for talks with the United States do not exist," Kharrazi said.

"We are not running away from real negotiations, but the other side must abandon its unilateral approach and demonstrate genuine willingness for dialogue," he added, characterising US policies—which he described as attempts to dictate terms unilaterally—as incompatible with "the Iranian and revolutionary spirit."

Referring to the ongoing debate among Iranian political figures over whether to negotiate, he noted that Iran has historically shown willingness to hold discussions. However, he reiterated that no talks would be held "simply to acquiesce to unfair demands."

When asked about the polarisation between supporters and opponents of negotiations, Kharrazi stressed that "the conditions for negotiation must be established first. One cannot negotiate under dictation, as negotiation in such conditions would mean surrender."