In the absence of a coherent U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East by Donald Trump and in the face of tough U.S. sanctions, which Iran views as all-out war, any negotiation on missile weapons would be a serious red line. As Iranian officials have repeatedly maintained, they will not compromise on that. For the Iranians, the kind of negotiation that the United States seeks, namely negotiations over Iran's missile capabilities and regional influence, is an attempt aimed at regime change in the country. Ultimately, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has the final say: “Negotiation is poison …Negotiating with the current US government is a double poison. Negotiation is a mutual give and take, but the US has targeted our points of strengths."

Zakiyeh Yazdanshenas is a freelance journalist focusing on Iran's foreign policy and PhD candidate in North American Studies at the University of Tehran.

Saheb Sadeghi is a columnist and foreign policy analyst on Iran. He is also a contributor to Foreign Policy and Al-Monitor.

This first appeared last year.

Image: Reuters.