Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Saturday firmly rejected external pressure to negotiate on its nuclear program after U.S. President Donald Trump demanded for negotiations and threatened military action against Iran if otherwise a day earlier. Speaking in a televised address, the Iranian supreme leader accused certain powerful nations of using negotiations as a means to impose their will on Iran rather than seeking genuine solutions. He said that if Iran does not accept, these countries will create controversies which would extend beyond the nuclear issue to include such topics for discussion as Iran's defense program and missile range. They keep coming up with new demands that Iran would never be able to meet, Khamenei noted. In response, White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes reiterated the U.S. position that Iran could choose to negotiate a deal, or it could face U.S. military action. On Feb 4 this year, Trump took an executive action to restore the so-called "maximum pressure" campaign on Iran, aiming at preventing the latter from obtaining nuclear weapon. In an interview with Fox Business Network broadcast on Friday, Trump said he had sent a letter to Iran's leadership urging the country to hold negotiations with the U.S. over its nuclear program, otherwise, Iran may face military consequences. On the same day, the Iranian side responded to Trump's remarks, saying that the country would not negotiate with the U.S. under the "maximum pressure." Iran signed a nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with six world powers in July 2015, accepting restrictions on its nuclear program in exchange for lifting sanctions. However, during Trump's first term of office, the U.S. withdrew from the agreement in May 2018 and reinstated sanctions, prompting Iran to scale back some of its nuclear commitments. Efforts to revive the JCPOA have not achieved substantial progress. Shotlist: Iran - March 8, 2025: 1. Various of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei speaking; attendees; FILE: Tehran, Iran - October 2024 2. National flag of Iran; 3. Various of pedestrians; stores along street; 4. Various of traffic; national flags of Iran; 5. Cityscape; FILE: Washington D.C., USA - October 2024 6. Various of White House; FILE: Washington D.C., USA - Sept 21, 2015 7. Fountain in front of White House; FILE: Washington D.C., USA - Date Unknown 8. Exterior of White House; 9. People outside White House; 10. Various of pedestrians. [Restriction - No access Chinese mainland/Al-Arabiya/Persian language TV Stations outside Iran. Strictly No Access BBC Persian/VOA Persian/Manoto TV/Iran International TV]