Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian lambasted US President Donald Trump's threat of military action if Tehran did not come to a nuclear deal, saying the Islamic Republic would not be forced to negotiate.
"What (Trump) did to that Zelensky is truly shameful," the relative moderate president said, referring to an oval office scrap between Trump and the Ukrainian president - Washington's erstwhile wartime partner.
Iranian officials have cited the blowup as a sign of the United States' fickleness and bullying on the world stage. Tehran has resisted Trump's overtures for a new deal over its nuclear program and its Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has ruled out talks.
"It is unacceptable to say, ‘We give orders to do this (or) not to do that," Pezeshkian said. "I will not come to (negotiate with you). Do whatever the hell you want!"
Faced with deepening economic malaise wrought by US-led sanctions, Pezeshkian had repeatedly advocated for talks with Washington to chip away at Iran's isolation and mitigate deepening financial pain which threatens unrest.
Khamenei, Iran's top decision-maker, has repeatedly rejected the notion after insisting the United States cannot be trusted.
Hardliners orchestrated the ouster of two moderate members of Pezeshkian's cabinet, hamstringing his economic and diplomatic agenda and leading some commentators to predict his resignation.
Iran denies seeking a nuclear weapon but the UN's nuclear watchdog last week pointed to a sharp rise in Tehran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
The United States and European Union said Iran's activities serve no credible civilian purpose and demanded it immediately desist.
