'Bullying' powers' call for talks with Iran not aimed at solving issues: Khamenei
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said that certain "bullying" powers' insistence on holding talks with Iran is not aimed at resolving issues
- TEHRAN — Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said that certain
"bullying" powers' insistence on holding talks with Iran is not aimed
at resolving issues but rather at imposing their own expectations.
-
- Khamenei made the remarks during a meeting in Tehran with
government officials on Saturday, responding to calls, notably from US
President Donald Trump, for negotiations on Iran's nuclear program, according
to footage released by the leader's office.
-
- "Their negotiation is not for resolving issues, but for
dominating and imposing what they want on the other side," said the
Iranian leader.
-
- He warned that if the other side refuses to negotiate, those
powers will create an uproar, accusing it of "distancing itself from and
abandoning the negotiating table," reports Xinhua news agency.
-
- Iran's nuclear issue is not those powers' sole focus, and
"they are raising new expectations, which will definitely not be met by
Iran," Khamenei said.
-
- He cited Britain, France and Germany accusing Tehran of
failing to meet its 2015 nuclear deal commitments, noting those countries have
also neglected their obligations under the same agreement from day one.
-
- Following the US withdrawal from the deal, the Europeans
promised to compensate but broke their pledges, Khamenei added.
-
- Iran signed the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with six world powers in July 2015,
accepting restrictions on its nuclear program in exchange for lifting
sanctions.
-
- However, during Trump's first term, the United States
withdrew from the agreement in May 2018 and reinstated sanctions, prompting
Iran to scale back some of its nuclear commitments.
-
