TEHRAN – Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Secretary Ali Larijani said on Sunday that persuading adversaries to revise their stance cannot be achieved through unconditional concessions, stressing that strengthening national cohesion is the correct path to counter foreign pressures.
Speaking at a meeting with humanities scholars, Larijani described the goals of Iran’s enemies as a clear attempt to break the country’s resolve. 
“It is completely evident that all the enemy wants is to break Iran and the will of the Iranian people,” he said. 
He cited repeated demands from Western powers to halt uranium enrichment, restrict missile development, and comply with regional directives, despite previously acknowledging Iran’s right to enrichment. 
“First they say, ‘You must not enrich uranium,’ then, ‘You must not have missiles,’ and then, ‘You must follow our instructions in the region.’ There is no end to these demands,” Larijani said. He stressed that such pressures require a united national resistance.
Larijani emphasized that Iran does not reject negotiation, but any talks must be genuine. 
“We always follow the Leader’s guidance on mastering the art of negotiation. Real negotiation cannot be pre-scripted by others,” he said, referring to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei. 
He criticized U.S. diplomatic threats in Lebanon, referencing envoy Tom Barrack, who reportedly imposed strict timelines and disarmament conditions on Hezbollah. 
“They said, ‘You have sixty days to comply or Israel will act.’ They cannot issue orders here, and their frustration is evident,” Larijani added.
He cautioned against naive approaches to foreign demands, noting that Iran has historically entered negotiations in good faith, only to face new conditions. 
“We negotiated while they waged war. Today, their goal is no longer dialogue but to ensure that negotiations produce the outcomes they want,” he said.
Larijani outlined a strategy of national resistance, grounded in economic reform. 
“Bringing the enemy to reason cannot be done through unconditional concessions. The correct path to reshape the rivals’ mindset is to strengthen national unity, and the prerequisite is economic reform to restore stability to the lives of the people,” he said.
He stressed that this approach requires both domestic cohesion and careful management of economic policies to counter foreign pressure while maintaining Iran’s sovereignty.