TEHRAN (Iran News) – Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has warned against protracted talks aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal, reiterating that Iran will only return to its commitments under the accord once it has verified that all U.S. sanctions have been removed.
Ayatollah Khamenei said that he has directed Iranian diplomats to proceed with the negotiations, but cautioned them the talks should not drag on.
“The talks shouldn’t become talks of attrition,” the Leader said. “They shouldn’t be in a way that parties drag on and prolong the talks. This is harmful to the country.”
“The fact that the Americans talk about engaging in direct and indirect negotiations [with Iran] is not because they want to negotiate to accept the truth, rather they want to negotiate to impose their wrongful argument” on Iran, the Leader noted.
Ayatollah Khamenei stressed that the Islamic Republic’s position on the issue, that the United States — as the party that has repeatedly reneged on its obligations in the past– must first remove the sanctions, is privately shared by some Europeans involved in the talks.
“However, when it comes to decision-making, they bow to the Americans and do not act independently,” the Leader said.
“Most of the proposals by the Americans are arrogant and contemptuous. They are not worth looking at,” Ayatollah Khamenei noted.
Following the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA in May 2018, Iran waited patiently for an entire year for the European parties to the deal to shield Iranian business interests in the face of US sanctions.
However, as the Europeans failed to hold up their contractual obligations to Iran under the threat of US reprisal, Tehran began a series of countermeasures by scaling back its own commitments under Articles 26 and 36 of the JCPOA covering Tehran’s legal rights.
The Vienna talks already have been thrown into disarray by an attack on Iran’s Natanz nuclear enrichment site, which Tehran says was carried out by the Israeli regime.
Elsewhere in his statements, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution stated, “The Quran itself does not step aside in any way when it comes to political-social challenges. And it does not refrain from confronting the Taghut (domineering, evil powers), the arrogant, the wasteful and the oppressors. It has always stood up to them.”
Imam Khamenei also added, “The Quran’s guidance is not particular to a limited area in humanity’s life. Quranic guidance covers all areas of human life. It is not the case that the Quran guides people in one area but leaves them alone in another essential area. No, the Quran deals with all aspects and corners of humanity’s life.”
In another part of his statements, His Eminence considered praising the work done by all the medical groups in the country to be important, especially during the Corona pandemic, “It is truly necessary for people to praise and thank the medical personnel working in the country.”
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution added, “The next point is about the people’s charity work. Well, the month of Ramadan is the month of good deeds. This has always been the case. Even in normal times in the month of Ramadan, generous people and believers offer their food and help to the needy. However, during the Corona pandemic, this issue becomes increasingly important. It is necessary for the people’s movement of offering pious help and providing relief to increase even more in the month of Ramadan.”
