Ayatollah Khamenei rejects talks with US under pressure

IRAN : The Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has rejected any talks with the United States under pressure and threats.

“I am not a diplomat. I am a revolutionary and speak frankly, honestly, and firmly. An offer of talks makes sense only when the side [that makes the offer] shows its goodwill,” Ayatollah Khamenei said in a meeting with the officials and commanders of Iran Navy on Thursday.

“Negotiation is meaningful when the two sides talk with goodwill, under equal conditions and without seeking to deceive each other. Therefore, ‘negotiation for the sake of negotiation’, ‘tactical negotiation’ and negotiation offer in order to sell a superpower's gesture to the world is a deceptive move,” the Leader stated. Ayatollah Khamenei also noted that during the past four years, nothing has been seen from the United States but continuation of conspiracies, abetting seditionists and supporting the terrorists which assassinated Iranian nation’s scientists.

“You (the Americans) point the gun at Iran and say either negotiations or we pull the trigger! You should know that pressure and negotiations do not go together, and the [Iranian] nation will not be intimidated by such things.”

Ayatollah Khamenei pointed to the remarks by American officials that ‘the ball is now in Iran's court,’ and noted, “The ball is in your court, because you should answer the question of whether speaking of negotiations at the same time as continuing pressure and threats makes any sense at all.”

The Leader pointed out, however, that, “We, of course, understand their (the Americans’) need for negotiations, because the Middle East policy of the Americans has failed, and in order to compensate for this failure, they need to play a trump card.” Taking Iran to the negotiating table is the trump card that the US needs, Ayatollah Khamenei noted, adding that the US seeks to tell the world it has good will. “However, no one sees any goodwill.”

“Negotiation with the United States does not solve any problem because they have not fulfilled any of their promises in the past 60 years.”

Referring to the conspiracies by the enemies of the Iran including coups, military provocation, all-out support for the aggressor enemies, hard war, soft war, intensive pressure by the West’s evil media empire as well as harsh and increasing sanctions, Ayatollah Khamenei pointed out that for the past 30 years the enemies have tried to make Iranian nation disappointed at the Islamic Republic, but they have failed.

- PRESS TV