Leader: US Remains Untrustworthy

Rasa - Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei underlined that the experience of negotiations with Washington on the nuclear issue and the other side's disloyalty to its undertakings proved that the US governments can never be trusted in any respect.

News ID: 422923

Date: 24 August 2016 - 23:55

RNA - "This experience teaches us that promises by no US government can be trusted and nothing concrete should be done in lieu of their promises," Ayatollah Khamenei said in a meeting Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his cabinet ministers in Tehran on Wednesday.

"My criticism pertains to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), non-commitment and the evilness of the other side and it has nothing to do with our own officials because the negotiators have made round-the-clock efforts at their best and we appreciate these efforts," the Supreme Leader added.

Ayatollah Khamenei endorsed President Rouhani's active foreign diplomacy, but meantime reminded that Iran's diplomatic efforts should be balanced and directed at expanding relations with all the world states.

The Supreme Leader reiterated that Asia, Africa and Latin America should have their proper share in Iran's foreign policy.

Ayatollah Khamenei underlined the need for adopting active stances in the country's foreign diplomacy, and said, "In areas such as regional issues which are very complicated and intertwined, we should enter the scene with precision, vigilance, power of thought, actively and effectively."

The Supreme Leader, meantime, underlined the need for using the diplomatic capacities for the country's economic progress.

Ayatollah Khamenei also warned that Iranian officials should never be fooled by the positive words and complements of the opposite sides, and said, "The only thing which can be trusted in area diplomacy is stable, definite, endorsed and reasonable action."

The Supreme Leader further pointed to Iran's military and security bodies as another major contributor to the country's rigid and strong security shield, and reiterated that "such organizations should always be assisted and encouraged".

Ayatollah Khamenei pointed to the country's defense equipment and capabilities as a major and necessary contributor to Iran's security shield, and said, "The enemy is worried about Iran's increasing defense and missile capabilities; hence boosting the country's defense capabilities be should helped and supported."

Earlier in August, Ayatollah Khamenei underlined that the experience of negotiations with Washington on the nuclear issue and the other side's disloyalty to its undertakings proved that talks with the US on the regional issues is a "lethal poison".

"They (the Americans) want us to negotiate with them on the regional issues but the nuclear deal experience tells us that this (talks with the US) is a lethal poison and we cannot trust the Americans' words in any issue," Ayatollah Khamenei said, addressing a large gathering of Iranian people from all walks of life in Tehran.

Noting that the regional problems and challenges between Iran and the US are insolvable through negotiations, he said, "The Americans want to take everything in return for nothing. Negotiations with such a government mean diversion from the correct path of the country's progress, making repeated concessions and bearing their bullying, violations and disloyalty in practice."

Ayatollah Khamenei referred to the American officials' letters to Iran in recent years in which they showed respect and interest in cooperation with Tehran, and said, "We said two years ago that the nation will see the nuclear talks as an experience to see what the Americans would do in practice and now it has become clear that they are still busy with plots and destructive measures."

Noting that 6 months has passed since the start of the implementation of the nuclear deal with no tangible change in the Iranian people's everyday lives, he said, "The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as an experience proved again the fruitlessness of negotiations with the Americans, their disloyalty and the necessity for distrusting the US promises and showed that the way for the country's progress and improving people's living conditions is paying attention to the domestic potentials and not the enemies who are continuously rocking the boat for Iran in the region and the world."

His remarks came after Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister and a member of the nuclear negotiating team in talks with the world powers Majid Takht Ravanchi complained that not a single voice is heard from the US state and treasury departments on the implementation of the last year nuclear deal with Tehran and resumption of the country's banking interactions with the world.

"Some of the problems are related to this fact that there are sanctions that are not nuclear related and they have worried certain European financial institutions and we are also critical of them and have told the Americans too that they should create the necessary atmosphere based on the nuclear deal to remove these concerns, but they are not doing so, in our view," Takht Ravanchi said in July.

"In our view, two messages are coming from the US; one from the US state department which says that there is no problem for banking and financial works with Iran and the second from the OFAC (the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the US Treasury Department) which contradicts the first message," he added.

Noting that the Iranian negotiators in their meetings with their American counterparts have many times emphasized that not only their message is contradictory, but also it is not a positive one, Takht Ravanchi said that the OFAC should give a General License to the European and other giant banks in the world for interaction with Iran or contact each bank separately, answer their questions and respond to their concerns.

"This process shouldn’t take long either," he added.

Also in July, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs and senior member of Iran's nuclear negotiating team Seyed Abbas Araqchi lambasted the US for its destructive role against the resumption of Tehran's banking relations with the world states after the last year nuclear agreement.

"The Americans have not only remained adamant to building trust (between the Iranian banks and their foreign counterparts after the nuclear deal), but also played a destructive role in this regard," Araqchi told reporters in a press conference in Tehran.

His remarks came after Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif blasted the US for its negative approach towards implementation of the last year nuclear agreement, and said the Europeans are also angry at Washington's behavior.

"Every one says that the Americans haven’t implemented the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (the nuclear deal) in the best way possible," Zarif told FNA in July.

"The European sides also have problem with the Americans as they have some psychological concerns" as a result of the Iranophobia projects implemented against Tehran in the past.

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