US attempting international con with Iran talks offer

An Iranian lawmaker says Washington is attempting an international con with its offer to hold one-to-one talks with Tehran over its nuclear energy program.

Spokesman for the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Seyyed Hossein Naqavi-Hosseini said on Friday that US words and actions do not correspond and it is only trying to deceive public opinion with the talks offer.

“The Americans want to show that they are willing to negotiate but in practice, they are following [the path of] threats, sanctions and pressure,” he added.

The Iranian lawmaker went on to say that the recent proposal by the US Vice President Joe Biden for direct Tehran-Washington talks is nothing new.

Naqavi-Hosseini pointed out that President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had made such proposals before and every time after such offers new sanctions were imposed against Iran.

“Therefore today, when Obama’s vice-president talks about negotiations with Iran [it means] they definitely have new sanctions on the agenda,” he expounded.

“So long as the Americans have not cleared obstacles in the way of [Tehran-Washington] talks and have not taken a confidence-building measure [to assure] the Iranian nation, we should realize anytime they speak of negotiations with Iran that they are lying and the US is a liar,” he concluded.

At the 49th annual Munich Security Conference in Germany on February 2, US Vice President Biden said Washington was ready to hold direct talks with Iran over its nuclear energy program.

However, he noted that “there will be continued pressure and isolation,” insisting that if Iran abandons “the illicit nuclear program and your support for terrorism, there will be meaningful incentives.”

In a strong response, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei lashed out at the idea of any talks with the United States under pressure and threats.

“I am not a diplomat. I am a revolutionary and speak frankly, honestly, and firmly. An offer of talks makes sense only when the side [that makes the offer] shows its goodwill,” Ayatollah Khamenei said in a Thursday meeting with the officials and commanders of Iran Navy.

“You (the Americans) point the gun at Iran and say either negotiate or we pull the trigger! You should know that pressure and negotiations don’t go together, and that the [Iranian] nation will not be intimidated by such things,” the Leader added.