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“Your previous remarks [regarding talks with US] had worried those who care about the Islamic Establishment,” reads the statement, adding that Rouhani’s recent rejection of talks has killed all the hopes in Washington.

MPs further called on the Iranian President to continue this path more firmly.

Last week, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had said that key to “positive developments” is in the hands of Washington, noting that if meeting with a foreign official would lead to Iran’s development, he would not reject it. The remarks came amid President Macron’s announcement that grounds are prepared for a visit between US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Rouhani.

MPs then criticized Rouhani’s stance and gathered to sign a statement to ban any form of negotiations with Washington.

Rouhani, who attended Parliament’s open session on Tuesday, highlighted that no talks with the United States is on the agenda.

“We’ve said it before time and again, and we say it again: We have no intention to hold bilateral talks with the United States. We never did and never will. It has been the case in the past year and a half, and even in previous years. There have been calls for talks, but we never responded to them,” he said.

“When we talk about negotiations, we only mean it under the situation where all sanctions have been lifted; that is, the situation we previously had under the JCPOA. Our stance is clear,” Rouhani stressed.

Tensions started to build up between the US and Iran after President Trump withdrew Washington from the 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in May 2018, and imposed sanctions against Tehran in a bid to restrict the country’s trade transactions with the world. The Trump administration has been making empty calls for talks, but the Islamic Republic stresses that as long as sanctions are in place and the US refuses to return to the JCPOA, negotiations will be meaningless.

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“Our diplomacy on this issue was based on ensuring national security and interest of the country and also on Revolutionary diplomacy of resistance,” he added.

Despite all US pressures and requests, Gibraltar government on Wednesday ordered the release of the tanker, formerly known as Grace 1. Iran’s Ambassador to London Hamid Baeidinejad confirmed early Monday that the supertanker has started its journey in international waters 45 days after being seized in Gibraltar.

Britain’s naval forces unlawfully seized the vessel, then known as Grace 1, and its cargo of 2.1 million barrels of oil in the Strait of Gibraltar on July 4 under the pretext that the supertanker had been suspected of carrying crude to Syria in violation of the European Union’s unilateral sanctions against the Arab country.

“Seizing Iranian tanker was an illegal measure and an act of piracy by England upon US order,” added Boroujerdi.

“In line with its legal authorities and in a bid to ensure security of Hormuz Strait and the Persian Gulf, the Islamic Republic of Iran retaliated UK’s measure; because the security of the Persian Gulf region is the security of the Islamic Republic,” noted the lawmaker, referring to seizure of UK-flagged tanker Stena Impero after it had violated international maritime rules in the Strait of Hormuz.

“England’s measure was a threat to international maritime security, so the Islamic Republic of Iran decided to give a firm response since many countries send tankers to the Persian Gulf to buy oil and Iran couldn’t let the region face a crisis,” said Boroujerdi.

IRGC Navy Commander Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri highlighted on Sunday that Port and Maritime Organization of Iran (PMO) and Iranian Judiciary system have to decide on the fate of Stena Impero, adding, “there is no relation between the release of Grace 1 from Gibraltar and the British oil tanker detained by IRGC.”

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The bilateral monetary treaties are aimed at ditching dollar in trade transactions.

A Parliamentarian, Hassan Nowruzi, who opposed the plan, said approving such bill would only lead to the entanglement of several laws and will not contribute to better implementation of monetary policies.

In turn, Hadi Ghavami, another lawmaker pro to the bill, believes that a currency swap agreement between states could potentially lessen the US dollar’s influence, and it is a fundamental solution for settling economic problems and overcoming new round of sanctions imposed by the US on Iran.

According to a member of Iranian Parliament Economic Commission Ahmad Anaraki Mohammadi, Iran is currently doing business with countries like China and India based on bilateral monetary treaties.

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210 Iranian lawmakers sent a letter to Ayatollah Khamenei on Tuesday, appreciating his firm stance against the US’ belligerence, saying, “It was a true display of dignity, wisdom and expediency.”

The lawmakers also condemned a Thursday attack on two oil tankers in the Sea of Oman, saying the impacts of Ayatollah Khamenei’s meeting with Abe angered those who are opposed to the region’s peace and security, making them commit such an act.

Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe held a meeting with Ayatollah Khamenei in Tehran on Thursday. At the beginning of the meeting, the Japanese prime minister said he intended to relay a message to Iran from US President Donald Trump.

In response, Ayatollah Khamenei told Abe, “We have no doubts about your goodwill and seriousness, but with regard to what you relayed from the US president, I see no merit in Trump as a person to deserve the exchange of any messages, and I do not have any answer for him and will not give him any either.”

Reacting to Abe’s comments about Trump’s assertion that Washington does not seek a regime change in Iran, the Leader said Iran’s problem with the US does not relate to the issue of regime change, although the US would never achieve such an objective even if it wanted to.

“Trump’s claim that he does not intend to change the regime (in Iran) is a lie because he would do this if he was able to, but he can’t,” Ayatollah Khamenei underlined.

Regarding US’ called for nuclear negotiations with Iran, the Leader said the US once reneged on an agreement that was reached after five to six years of negotiations with the US and Europeans. “So, which wise man would negotiate again with a country that has broken all agreements?”

In response to the Japanese leader’s comments that the US is resolved to prevent Iran from producing nukes, Ayatollah Khamenei underlined, “We are opposed to nuclear weapons and my religious fatwa is that production of nuclear weapons is haram [forbidden], but be mindful that if we ever intended to produce nuclear weapons, the US would not be able to do anything, and the American rejection would not pose any obstacle.”

Ayatollah Khamenei also noted that the US which has a stockpile of thousands of nuclear warheads is in no position to comment about nuclear weapons in the other countries.

In response to Abe’s comments that the US is ready for genuine talks with Iran, the Leader said, “We do not believe it at all, because sincere negotiations would not come from an individual like Trump.”

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