‘Ayat. Khamenei says Iran will not negotiate with US’

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei on Sunday met with thousands of people at Imam Khomeini’s Hosseinieh on Sunday.

At this meeting, Leader of the Revolution addressed recent economic problems of the country, calling ‘domestic factors’ the source of the crisis and added “experts and many officials believe that the problem is domestic. The problem of gold coin and foreign currency unfolded due to negligence and mismanagement. People from all walks of life feel the livelihood problems today. A group of the nation is truly under extreme pressure. The inflammation in food and housing, and other problems puts pressure on the people.

Ayatollah Khamenei described the dramatic fall of rial against foreign currencies as targeting mainly the working class and said, reduction of the value of national currency is a problem of the present economic situation. When the value of Iranian rial falls in such a manner, it is the daily paid laborer who is left with nothing.

Leader attributed the source of the current economic problems as internal mismanagements rather than external factors, highlighting that “economic experts and many officials agree that today’s livelihood problems do not emerge from outside; rather, they are tracked down to internal issues.”

Ayatollah Khamenei stressed that sanctions may play a role in creating the current economic situation, however, the domestic factors are more involved in the matter; “not that sanctions are not playing a role, but the main reasons lie in the measures taken within the country. If actions are taken more efficiently, more prudently, more swiftly and more firmly, sanctions cannot have much effect and they can be resisted.”

Ayatollah Khamenei once again urged the officials to strictly punish financial crimes, and stressed those who commit corruption must be punished. When corruption and convicts of corruption are opposed, some may start to protest.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Ayatollah Khamenei slammed US rhetoric towards Iran, saying “the US has become more blatant and ruder in their rhetoric over the past few months. Previously they were not so observant of diplomatic etiquette in their speech either; however, they have become ruder towards all nations.”

He criticized US’ reaction towards Saudi attack on Yemeni school bus, saying “the news shook the global conscience. But how did the US react? Instead of condemning the crime, it said, “we have strategic relations with Saudi Arabia.” Is this not [a sign of] shamelessness? What the US president did to two or three thousand children by separating them from their parents, putting them in cages because they were immigrants is an unprecedented crime in history?”

Ayatollah Khamenei further slammed US move towards Iran and held “recently, US officials have been talking blatantly about Iran. Beside sanctions, they talk about war and negotiations. Of course they do not openly talk about wars, but they intent to imply that there is a ghost of war that would scare the Iranian nation or scare those who fear.”

Ayatollah Khamenei then criticized US’ role in negotiating by stating: In the matter of negotiations, they play a poor game. One of them says, negotiations with preconditions, another one says, negotiations without preconditions. Let me address the people on the matter in a few words: There will be no war, nor will we negotiate with the US. This is the gist of the word that all the Iranian people should know. The US has now offered to do negotiations; this is not new. This has existed since the beginning of the Revolution.

He further added this is the method of the American negotiations. Now should we negotiate with such a sham government? The JCPOA was a clear example of this. Though, I was very exigent about it, the red lines were not really respected.

Finally Ayatollah Khamenei banned any negotiations with the US, saying the Islamic Republic can negotiate with the US only when it reaches the favorable power and sovereignty that would nullify US’ pressures and domineering efforts; when those efforts have no effect on Iran. Today this is not the case. Thus, I will ban negotiations with the US just as Imam [Khomeini] did.