US President Donald Trump's letter to Iran's Supreme Leader on talks is a pointless feint, an editorial by the Revolutionary Guards' news outlet Tasnim said, adding that a deal already exists in the form of a 2015 nuclear agreement.
The message from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a paramilitary body at the heart of the Iranian establishment, appears to be a firm rejection of Trump's message to Iran to demonstrably rule out nuclear weapons or face military strikes.
"The letter, for various reasons, is primarily a psychological operation rather than a sincere political move," the unsigned letter in Tasnim said.
"If Trump is sincere in his stated concerns, such an agreement that guarantees U.S. satisfaction has been on the table since 2015," it added, referring to an international nuclear deal from which President Trump withdrew the United States in 2018.
Trump said on Thursday that Tehran would need to ditch a nuclear program much of the West views as a precursor to building nuclear weapons or face military force.
Iran denies seeking a nuclear weapon and says its program has peaceful aims.
"There are two ways Iran can be handled, militarily or you make a deal. I would prefer to make a deal because I'm not looking to hurt Iran," Trump said.
The IRGC is a key economic, domestic enforcement and foreign operations body which along with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei guide Iran's policy.
More moderate members of Iran's civilian government championed the 2015 nuclear deal with United Nations Security Council members plus Germany during the Democratic administration of Barack Obama.
Slamming his predecessor as too lax, Trump pulled out of the agreement after fellow Republicans said it did not properly curb the Iranian nuclear and missile threat nor its militant activities in region.
In his second term, the hawkish president has repeatedly vowed to deny Iran a nuclear bomb but had yet to convey his demands to Khamenei personally or so specifically moot military attacks as the alternative to an understanding between the arch-foes.
