Supreme chief criticises the US for abandoning the nuclear deal and imposing sanctions, questioning the worth of talks.
Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says america’ provide to carry talks on its nuclear programme is an try to deceive world public opinion, as a letter arrived from US President Donald Trump urging negotiations.
Trump mentioned final week that he had sent a letter to the Iranian management in search of negotiations over a brand new take care of Tehran to restrain its quickly advancing nuclear programme.
The letter was handed over to Iranian Overseas Minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday by Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the president of the United Arab Emirates.
Whereas the 2 officers have been assembly, the supreme chief advised a bunch of college college students that Trump’s provide “is a deception geared toward shaping world opinion”.
“We negotiated for years, reached an entire and signed settlement, after which this particular person tore it up,” Khamanei mentioned. “How can one negotiate below such circumstances? … After we know they gained’t, what’s the level of negotiating?”
He referred to the 2015 nuclear accord that Tehran signed with world powers to curtail its nuclear actions in change for sanctions reduction. In 2018, throughout his first time period in workplace, Trump unilaterally pulled the US out of the deal and imposed new financial restrictions on Iran. Tehran responded a yr later by violating the deal’s nuclear curbs.
Since returning to the White Home in January, Trump has signalled his want to barter whereas additionally reinstating his coverage on “most strain” on Iran.
Khamenei mentioned negotiating with the Trump administration, which he mentioned has extreme calls for, “will tighten the knot of sanctions and enhance strain on Iran”.
Iran has lengthy denied in search of to develop a nuclear weapon.
“If we wished to construct nuclear weapons, the US wouldn’t be capable of cease it. We ourselves don’t want it,” Khamenei mentioned.
Nevertheless, Iran’s inventory of uranium enriched to as much as 60 p.c purity, near the roughly 90 p.c weapons-grade stage, has jumped, the Worldwide Atomic Power Company mentioned late final month.
UNSC assembly
Araghchi additionally denounced a closed-door United Nations Safety Council (UNSC) assembly on Wednesday about Iran’s nuclear work as a brand new course of that places doubtful the goodwill of the states requesting it.
Six of the council’s 15 members – France, Greece, Panama, South Korea, Britain and the US – requested the assembly over Iran’s growth of its inventory of near weapons-grade uranium.
Araghchi mentioned Iran would quickly have a fifth spherical of talks with France, Britain and Germany – events to Iran’s 2015 nuclear pact.
“Our talks with Europeans have been ongoing and can proceed … nevertheless, any resolution by the UN Safety Council or board of governors of the UN nuclear watchdog to strain us will put below query the legitimacy of those talks,” Araghchi mentioned, based on state media.
Individually, China’s Overseas Ministry mentioned China and Russia will hold talks with Iranian officers in Beijing on Friday to debate the Iranian nuclear challenge.
