President’s Remarks on Oil Embargo Important:
Leader: Negotiations With U.S. Of No Avail
TEHRAN (Dispatches) – Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Saturday backed President Hassan Rouhani's suggestion that Iran may block Persian Gulf oil exports if its own exports are stopped.
"Remarks by the president that 'if Iran's oil is not exported, no regional country's oil will be exported,' were important remarks that reflect the policy and the approach of the system," the Leader told Foreign Ministry officials here.
Rouhani's warning earlier this month came in reaction to looming U.S. sanctions and efforts by Washington to force all countries to stop buying Iranian oil.
Ayatollah Khamenei used the speech reject any renewed talks with the United States after President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from a 2015 international deal over Iran's nuclear program.
"I have long pointed out that the word and even the signature of the Americans cannot be relied upon, so negotiations with America are of no avail," the Leader said.
The Leader touched on "deep-rooted" U.S. animosity with the Iranian nation, saying Washington's opposition to Iran's nuclear capabilities and role in the region is rooted in its hostility with "the elements of the authority of the Islamic system."
The Leader said the Americans want to return to the position they were in Iran before the Islamic Revolution in 1979 when the former Shah was a key ally of the United States, adding "they will not be satisfied with anything less."
It would be a "blatant mistake" to believe that negotiating with the U.S. would help Iran solve its problems, Ayatollah Khamenei said.
"There are many countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America that have ties with the US but are still suffering from problems,” the Leader said, adding the U.S. has "a fundamental problem with the nature of Iran’s Islamic establishment.”
With the Europeans, talks should continue to guarantee Iran's interests under the 2015 nuclear deal which the bloc wants to preserve despite Washington's withdrawal in May.
"Negotiations with the Europeans should not be cut off, but we should not wait too long for a European package and instead, we should do a lot of work inside the country,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.
Earlier this month, Iran said it had rejected the European Union’s package of proposals for the future of the 2015 nuclear deal.
Tehran said it had returned the package for revisions, saying the bloc’s proposals did not guarantee that the Islamic Republic would benefit from the nuclear deal if it stayed in the agreement.
Before Ayatollah Khamenei’s remarks, Iran’s Foreign Minister Muhammad Javad Zarif said his ministry had devised a comprehensive plan to help expand the country’s economic bonds with neighbors as well as others.
Zarif said Iran’s Foreign Ministry had also been able to successfully foil what he described an Israeli project to portray Iran as a threat.
He recalled efforts by Trump and Zionist PM Benjamin Netanyahu to scare the world away from Iran, calling such efforts as "cheap theatrics” that have resulted in nothing but their own isolation.
Zarif further said that "war rooms” have been created in certain countries to pressure Iran, but those efforts are futile.
He said Iran has told other countries including U.S. allies that confronting the American bullying should go beyond political commitments and involve practical measures.
"We have gone through hard times,” the Iranian minister said. "We will be able to overcome problems through cooperation and unity without suffering any harm under the guidance of the Leadership and the help of the people.”
"Remarks by the president that 'if Iran's oil is not exported, no regional country's oil will be exported,' were important remarks that reflect the policy and the approach of the system," the Leader told Foreign Ministry officials here.
Rouhani's warning earlier this month came in reaction to looming U.S. sanctions and efforts by Washington to force all countries to stop buying Iranian oil.
Ayatollah Khamenei used the speech reject any renewed talks with the United States after President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from a 2015 international deal over Iran's nuclear program.
"I have long pointed out that the word and even the signature of the Americans cannot be relied upon, so negotiations with America are of no avail," the Leader said.
The Leader touched on "deep-rooted" U.S. animosity with the Iranian nation, saying Washington's opposition to Iran's nuclear capabilities and role in the region is rooted in its hostility with "the elements of the authority of the Islamic system."
The Leader said the Americans want to return to the position they were in Iran before the Islamic Revolution in 1979 when the former Shah was a key ally of the United States, adding "they will not be satisfied with anything less."
It would be a "blatant mistake" to believe that negotiating with the U.S. would help Iran solve its problems, Ayatollah Khamenei said.
"There are many countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America that have ties with the US but are still suffering from problems,” the Leader said, adding the U.S. has "a fundamental problem with the nature of Iran’s Islamic establishment.”
With the Europeans, talks should continue to guarantee Iran's interests under the 2015 nuclear deal which the bloc wants to preserve despite Washington's withdrawal in May.
"Negotiations with the Europeans should not be cut off, but we should not wait too long for a European package and instead, we should do a lot of work inside the country,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.
Earlier this month, Iran said it had rejected the European Union’s package of proposals for the future of the 2015 nuclear deal.
Tehran said it had returned the package for revisions, saying the bloc’s proposals did not guarantee that the Islamic Republic would benefit from the nuclear deal if it stayed in the agreement.
Before Ayatollah Khamenei’s remarks, Iran’s Foreign Minister Muhammad Javad Zarif said his ministry had devised a comprehensive plan to help expand the country’s economic bonds with neighbors as well as others.
Zarif said Iran’s Foreign Ministry had also been able to successfully foil what he described an Israeli project to portray Iran as a threat.
He recalled efforts by Trump and Zionist PM Benjamin Netanyahu to scare the world away from Iran, calling such efforts as "cheap theatrics” that have resulted in nothing but their own isolation.
Zarif further said that "war rooms” have been created in certain countries to pressure Iran, but those efforts are futile.
He said Iran has told other countries including U.S. allies that confronting the American bullying should go beyond political commitments and involve practical measures.
"We have gone through hard times,” the Iranian minister said. "We will be able to overcome problems through cooperation and unity without suffering any harm under the guidance of the Leadership and the help of the people.”