In one of the latest political spectacles of the Islamic Republic, then Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi officially announced that Iran’s response to Donald Trump’s letter was sent to the White House via Oman. However, this action is not a diplomatic move in essence, but rather another display of confusion, hypocrisy, and regime deadlock that, for over four decades, has clung to ideological survival with its fierce anti-American slogans.
While the state-controlled media of the Islamic Republic praise the “firmness” of the Supreme Leader and his rejection of talks with “bullying governments,” behind closed doors, the same leadership sends letters, proposals, and receives negotiation messages through intermediaries like Oman, Qatar, and even the UAE. Trump’s letter was one such case—a confidential message delivered by Anwar Gargash, diplomatic advisor to the UAE President. This act clearly exposes the regime’s willingness to negotiate—but only in the shadows.
In his initial response to Trump, Khamenei loudly rejected the idea of talks, saying Iran would never negotiate with domineering powers. But only days later, a written response was sent to Washington. The contradiction is glaring: if negotiation is a red line, why reply at all? Is this not yet another example of the dual policies the Islamic Republic has used for decades to deceive both its people and the world?
For years, the regime has played a double game: chanting “Death to America” in public while negotiating with the same America in private. The response to Trump’s letter is a classic instance of this tactic—a strategy focused not on peace, but on maintaining internal control and legitimacy through deception.
Trump reportedly proposed direct negotiations, and according to Axios, gave Tehran a two-month deadline to reach a new nuclear agreement. Instead of responding transparently, the regime sent a vague, secretive reply, signaling more of the same—delay, ambiguity, and denial. The content remains undisclosed, but Tehran’s insistence on secrecy is unmistakable.
At the same time, Iranian officials like Araqchi and Kamal Kharazi acknowledged that indirect negotiations are still possible. This confession undermines the regime’s public posturing—it does not reject negotiations, but demands they remain hidden from the public eye.
Khamenei has labeled any talks with the U.S. as “treason” and “weakness”, yet in practice, the Islamic Republic has never shut down negotiation channels. From Obama-era backchannels in Oman to quiet talks under Trump and Biden, the regime has never stopped dealing behind the scenes.
This political hypocrisy has eroded international trust and left Iranians with hard questions: Why does a government that claims strength fear admitting its own diplomacy? Why are none of these letters or secret deals ever made public?
Since the U.S. exit from the JCPOA in 2018, Tehran has accelerated uranium enrichment under the excuse of retaliating. A regime claiming it’s not building a bomb now possesses enough material for multiple warheads, while evading international oversight. And still, it sends messages for talks—through Oman.
Meanwhile, ordinary Iranians bear the cost: years of crippling sanctions, economic collapse, political repression, and systemic corruption. Trump’s letter and Iran’s hidden reply are just one example among hundreds of secret deals, all taking place behind a wall of propaganda.
If the regime truly believed in its rhetoric, it would publicly disclose what it said, why it said it secretly, and why it continues down the path of “slogans at home, deals abroad.”
In his Nowruz speech, Khamenei once again told the U.S.: “You will get nowhere. You will be slapped.” But in truth, it is the Iranian people who have been slapped the hardest—with rampant inflation, unemployment, elite brain drain, suppression of protests, and the destruction of hope.
History will judge a regime that claimed strength, yet lived in fear of transparency, fear of its people, and fear of unraveling the very knots it has tied over decades.
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