Last week, former President Donald Trump announced he’d sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, proposing nuclear talks. The delivery, however, took an unexpected route. On Wednesday, the letter was handed to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi by Anwar Gargash, the diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, rather than through typical diplomatic channels.

At the same time, Khamenei was speaking to a group of university students, calling Trump’s offer a calculated move to sway global opinion. “We spent years negotiating, signed a deal, and then he tore it apart,” Khamenei said, referring to Trump’s 2018 decision to pull the U.S. out of the 2015 nuclear agreement. “How can you negotiate with someone who doesn’t keep their word? If they won’t stick to it, why bother?”

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That 2018 withdrawal saw the U.S. exit the nuclear deal Tehran had struck with world powers, followed by the reimposition of sanctions that hit Iran’s economy hard. A year later, Tehran responded by stepping back from the agreement’s nuclear restrictions.

Trump’s letter might hint at a willingness to talk, but Khamenei’s remarks suggest little faith in the process. It’s a standoff rooted in a broken deal, with both sides holding firm to their positions. For now, the idea of sitting down at the table feels more like wishful thinking than a realistic prospect.