Spokesman Calls on US to Stop Double-Standard Policies towards Iran

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehman-Parast blasted the United States for pursuing double-standard policies towards Iran, and said Washington should first abandon its hostile attitudes and threats before offering direct talks with Iran.

Mehman-Parast pointed to the US policies towards the Iranian nation during President Obama’s first term in office, and said “The public opinion has (its own) assessment criteria and it believes that during this time the sanctions and political pressures against our nation have increased,” Mehman-Parast said.

“We have not observed substantial changes in the US officials’ behavior over the past four years and this has led the public opinion have a negative picture of the (US) claims,” he added.

The Iranian diplomat said that the first prerequisite for talks is a halt in the US hostile behavior towards Iran, and urged the Obama administration to take the present opportunity to bring about changes in its foreign policy.

Mehman-Parast pointed to Obama’s appointments of John Kerry and Chuck Hagel as his new state and defense secretaries, and said that the international public opinion expects new measures by the US government after such changes.

Last month, The Leader of Islamic Ummah and Oppressed People Imam Sayed Ali Khamenei slammed the US statesmen’s contradictory remarks and actions, and stressed that Iran would reject the US offer of direct talks and negotiations as long as the White House continues its policy of deceit.

Addressing thousands of visitors from the Northwestern city of Tabriz at the time, The Leader of Islamic Ummah and Oppressed People Imam Sayed Ali Khamenei lambasted the US officials’ illogical behavior, which, he said, is comprised of contradictory remarks and actions and a spirit of bullying.

“Americans expect others to give in to their illogical words and bullying as some have done, but the Iranian nation and the Islamic Republic does not surrender because it has logic, ability and power,” underlined the Supreme Leader.

In his remarks, The Leader of Islamic Ummah and Oppressed People Imam Sayed Ali Khamenei laid emphasis on five points, including, the illogical and contradictory remarks and actions of the US statesmen, and American officials’ attempts to make the Iranian nation surrender through talks and negotiations, and said Washington is lying about the removal of the sanctions through negotiations and Iran will continue its logical attitude towards the US offer of talks.

The Supreme Leader said the US statesmen made the offer of direct talks with Iran in a bid to lead the Iranian nation and ruling system to surrender, “because they want to show to the revolting Muslim nations of the region that the Islamic Republic of Iran was eventually made to sit to the negotiating table despite all its resistance and toughness, and that they, thus, have no other option but to give up and surrender”.

The Leader of Islamic Ummah and Oppressed People Imam Sayed Ali Khamenei said the hegemonic powers have long sought to discourage the Muslim nations by bringing Iran to the negotiating table to make a deal with them, “but the Islamic Republic of Iran with its eyes wide open sees their goals and gives a proper response to those goals”.

The Leader of Islamic Ummah and Oppressed People Imam Sayed Ali Khamenei said the US and the West want to dictate their words to Iran through negotiations, “and in pursuit of the very same illogical outlook, they have said in their recent propaganda that they intend to have direct talks with Iran in a bid to convince and make it give up its nuclear energy and enrichment program. If they had really wanted real and logical talks, they should have said that they would negotiate so that Iran raises it arguments and reasoning and that issues are studied fairly”.

The Leader of Islamic Ummah and Oppressed People Imam Sayed Ali Khameneifurther noted the history of Iran-US talks in recent decades, and said Americans have demanded and had talks with Iran twice or three times in the last 15 years, but every time Iranians put forward their logical words in those talks, “the Americans didn’t have any answer to those logical statements of Iran and interrupted the negotiations, but pretended through the network of their international media that Iran had halted the talks”.

The Supreme Leader further asked if there is any more need to attend talks with the US while Washington has repeatedly proved to be illogical in negotiations with Iran.

Yet The Leader of Islamic Ummah and Oppressed People Imam Sayed Ali Khamenei said, “If Americans show both in their words and actions that they are not illogical, then they would see that the Islamic Republic and the Iranian nation are benevolent and favor interaction and logic.”

“This is the only way to interact with the Islamic Republic of Iran, and in that case the US administration would receive a proper response,” The Leader of Islamic Ummah and Oppressed People Imam Sayed Ali Khamenei reiterated.