Ayatollah Khamenei: No talks with US; maximum pressure campaign futile

Young journalists club

News ID: 43685
Iran » Iran
Publish Date: 13:02 - 17 September 2019
TEHRAN, Sept 17 -Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says Iran will not engage in negotiations with the United States “at any level,” and that Washington's "maximum pressure" campaign against the Iranian nation has failed to achieve its goals.

Ayatollah Khamenei: No talks with US; maximum pressure campaign futileTEHRAN, Young Journalists Club(YJC)_Speaking on Tuesday, Ayatollah Khamenei said entering talks with the US under the current circumstances would be tantamount to surrendering to Washington's undue pressure campaign. "Negotiating would mean Washington imposing its demands on Tehran. It would also be a manifestation of the victory of America’s maximum pressure campaign,” the Leader noted.

“That is why Iranian officials — including the president, the foreign minister and others — have unanimously voiced their objection to any talks with the US — be it in a bilateral or a multilateral setting,” the Leader stated.

Ayatollah Khamenei said talks with Iran would be possible only if the US returns to a 2015 nuclear deal that it abandoned last year. Under that multilateral accord, Washington had lifted its anti-Iran economic sanctions.

“If the US retracts its words, repents and returns to the nuclear accord that it has violated, it can then take part in sessions of other signatories to the deal and hold talks with Iran… Otherwise, no talks at any level will be held between Iranian and American authorities, neither in New York nor elsewhere."

Ayatollah Khamenei pointed to America’s repeated offers of talk and the contradictory comments by its officials on the conditions for such negotiations.

“Sometimes, they speak of negotiations without preconditions. At other times, they speak of talks with 12 conditions. Such statements are either an outcome of their chaotic policy or a ploy aimed at confusing the opposite side,” the Leader said.

“The Islamic Republic will, of course, not be confused as our path is clear and we know what we are doing,” Ayatollah Khamenei added.

The Leader also noted that the US policy of maximum pressure consists of “a range of sanctions, threats and rants,” which are meant to bring Iran to the negotiating table.

The strategy has, however, failed to bring Iran to its knees, said Ayatollah Khamenei, adding that Washington’s objective in pursuing talks with Tehran is “to prove to everyone that maximum pressure has yielded result.”

source:presstv

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