Ayatollah Khamenei made the remarks on Tuesday in Tehran, meeting with the heads of the country’s executive, judiciary, and legislative branches as well as other senior officials, parliamentarians, and important figures in the country’s political, social, and cultural spheres.

IRAN NEWS NATIONAL DESK

The Leader further said any confrontation between the U.S. and Iran would not be “a military one,” and that “there was not going to be any war.”

“The Iranian nation’s definite option will be resistance in the face of the U.S., and in this confrontation, the U.S. would be forced into a retreat,” Ayatollah Khamenei said. “Neither we nor they, who know war will not be in their interest, are after war.”

Ayatollah Khamenei further explained that the confrontation between the two sides is “a clash of wills,” asserting that Iran would be the ultimate victor of this battle.

The Leader ruled out any negotiation with the U.S. as long as Washington sticks with its hostile approach against the Islamic Republic, saying Washington would be attempting to undermine Iran’s “points of strength,” such as its defensive power or its strategic regional influence, in any such interaction.

As an example, Ayatollah Khamenei said, “They (Americans) say we should negotiate over your (Iran’s) defensive weapons, [questioning] why do you build [for instance] a missile with a given range. Reduce the range [of your missiles, they say,] so you would not be able to hit our bases!”

The Leader further played down Washington’s highly belligerent rhetoric against Iran, saying its real capability did not match its loud bluster, and that it “needs to engage in [such bluster].”

Ayatollah Khamenei said Washington gives priority to Israel’s interests over the benefits of all others, adding, “The control of many affairs rests in the hands of the Zionist society.”

The Leader pointed to the absence of integrity in the U.S. administration, noting how various American officials contradict each other on a daily basis. The American society, he added, is also afflicted with rampant socioeconomic problems and violence.

Ayatollah Khamenei, meanwhile, also highlighted how Washington’s policies regarding Europe and Asia had backfired.

“In [its] policy of confrontation with the Islamic Republic too, the U.S. will definitely suffer defeat, and [the situation] will end up to our benefit,” the Leader said, citing warnings by American analysts that Washington’s pressure on Tehran would, contrary to its intended purpose, trigger an “economic mutation.”

Meanwhile earlier in the meeting,  President Hassan Rouhani referred to the United States’ decision to stop Iran’s oil exports and disrupting non-oil exports, as well as psychological pressure, saying, “We will undoubtedly pass this stage with people’s resistance and steadfastness, and better management and planning”.

He said, “1397 was a hard year for the people of our country, especially with regard to their living”.

He also referred to the opening of great projects in the recent years, including Phase 15 of South Pars Gas Field, he said, “During this time, the greatest gas condensates refinery, which is unique in the Middle East, was opened, which doubled our petrol production, leading to self-sufficiency in petrol production”.

The President went on to mention the opening of the greatest road and railway projects, including the connection of four provinces to the nationwide railway system, as well as the spike in the production of agriculture products, saying, “In addition to the increase of guaranteed purchase of wheat, we have achieved self-sufficiency in wheat production and increase in the production of cooking oil plants”.

“In greenhouse agriculture, we have reached 15 thousand hectares from 8.8 thousand hectares, and we will reach a figure of 20 thousand hectares in the future,” he said.

He also referred to the three- to five-fold increase in payments to those under the cover of Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation and the Welfare Organization, and described the construction work in the 14 months after the Kermanshah Earthquake a great job.

Stressing that unity and solidarity are important in the country, Dr. Rouhani added, “What the people and authorities did after the floods was extraordinary, and we need a unity like that today to turn a treat into an opportunity”.

People are under pressure to make a living, said Rouhani, adding, “If we can exercise more monitoring on imported goods, we can reduce people’s problems and overcome the sanctions”.

Describing observation and belief in the Constitution as the yardstick of friendship in the country, he said, “If everyone acts based on the Constitution, using all its potentials, we can overcome the problems”.