Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei once again ruled out any possible negotiations with the United States on Friday because he said it would only benefit President Donald Trump campaigning for the presidential election. In a televised speech on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, the Muslim feast of sacrifice, the Iranian number one also said that the United States' policy of sanctions against his country had failed.
Tensions between Iran and the US, enemy countries, have grown steadily since the Trump administration's unilateral withdrawal in 2018 from the Iran nuclear deal, followed by the reinstatement of heavy US sanctions.
"Sanctions are a crime"
“This old man in power has obviously used his negotiations with North Korea for propaganda. Now he wants to use (possible negotiations with Iran) for the US presidential election in November, said Ayatollah Khamenei, 81, in reference to Donald Trump, 74.
In exchange for possible negotiations, the United States would demand that Iran "reduce (its) defense capabilities, destroy (its) regional power and abandon the vital nuclear industry", he added. And "it is not logical to submit to the demands of the aggressor". The United States has notably reinstated sanctions on Iranian oil exports and on foreign banking exchanges.
"There is no doubt that the sanctions are a crime, a coup by the United States against Iran," Ali Khamenei said. “But the intelligent Iranian made the most of this aggression and took advantage (…) of the sanctions to increase national autonomy. "
And to continue that the sanctions have "allowed the country's economy to be less dependent on oil", as well as the development of other sectors such as the automotive industry and exports to neighboring countries. According to the Supreme Leader, "(Western) think tanks themselves recognize that the United States' maximum pressure (policy) has failed."
A "useless toy"
Ali Khamenei further accused the European states parties to the nuclear deal of "having done nothing" to guarantee the economic benefits for Iran provided for by the pact and considered that the barter mechanism designed to circumvent the sanctions Americans was a "useless toy".
The “Instex” mechanism created by Germany, France and the United Kingdom, functions as a clearing house and allows European companies to trade with Iran without exposing themselves to the consequences of American extraterritorial sanctions.
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Tensions between Iran and the United States: Ali Khamenei opposes any dialogue with Washington
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