Leader of Islamic Ummah Sayyed Imam Ali Khamenei Bans Talks with US

“Recently, the US officials have been talking blatantly about us. Beside sanctions, they talk about war and negotiations. They talk about a spirit of war to frighten the cowards,” Ayatollah Khamenei said, addressing a large number of Iranian people from all walks of life in Tehran on Monday.

“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 suggested negotiations; this is not new. This has existed since the beginning of the revolution,” he underlined.

Ayatollah Khamenei explained to the audience why Iran has decided not to negotiate with the United States, and asserted, “Why won’t we negotiate? The US negotiations formula is this; because the Americans rely on money and power, they consider negotiations as a commercial exchange; when the US wants to negotiate with a party, they determine their main goals, and then they won’t retreat even a step away from these goals; they demand the other party to pay a privilege immediately; and if the other party refuses to comply with them, they start to make a fuss, so the other party would surrender; the US itself does not pay anything in exchange for what it takes from the other party; the US only makes strong promises in order to enchant the other party with mere promises; in the final stage, after receiving all the immediate advantages, the US breach their own promises.”

“This is the method of the American negotiations. Now should we negotiate with such a fraudulent government? The JCPOA was a clear example of this.

Ayatollah Khamenei banned any negotiations with the US, saying, “The Islamic Republic can negotiate with the US only when it reaches the power and sovereignty that would nullify US’s 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.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution slammed US rhetoric towards Iran, and stated, “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.”

Ayatollah Khamenei drew an example of US’s blatancy in actions and rhetoric, and said, “The example of it is that during the last week, the Saudis committed two crimes: attacking a hospital and attacking a school bus with 40 or 50 innocent children on board. Do you have 8 or 9 year-olds at home? This is a dramatic tragedy. It truly breaks one’s heart. The news shook the global conscience. But how did the US react? Instead of condemning the crime, the US said, “We have strategic relations with Saudi Arabia.” Is this not 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 also addressed the recent economic problems of the country, calling “internal factors” as the source of the crisis.

“Scholars and many officials believe that the problem is internal. The problem of gold coin and foreign currency unfolded due to negligence and mismanagement,” he said.

Ayatollah Khamenei stressed that sanctions may play a role in creating the current economic situation, but that domestic factors are stronger role players on 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 on Saturday agreed to a request by Iran’s Judiciary Chief Sadeq Amoli Larijani and ordered special courts to be set up to swiftly deal with financial crimes in the country.

In a letter to Ayatollah Khamenei, Amoli Larijani had called for permission to set up the tribunals in the face of the current special economic conditions which he described as “an economic war”.

The Supreme Leader accepted the proposal, and said, “The purpose (of the courts) should be to punish corrupt financial criminals swiftly and fairly.”

Ayatollah Khamenei also urged the judiciary to ensure the courts’ accuracy of their rulings.

Amoli Larijani had proposed in his letter that new tribunals be set up for two years and be directed to hand down maximum sentences to those “disrupting and corrupting the economy”.