Imam Khamenei Shrugs off US Offer of Talks, Describes As “Deceitful”

Local Editor

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei on Thursday dismissed the US offer of direct talks with Iran, saying that Washington's actions are deceitful and show a different course from talks.

Addressing a gathering of Iranian Air Force commanders and personnel in Tehran, Sayyed Khamenei rejected the US's remarks that the ball is now in Iran's court, stating, "The ball is in your court since you should answer and say whether speaking of negotiations concurrent with pressures and threats bears any meaning."
"Negotiation is meant to prove goodwill. However you perform tens of (hostile) actions with ill intention and then speak of negotiations. Can the Iranian nation believe that you are driven by goodwill?" Sayyed Khamenei argued.

He further stated that the US needs talks with Iran because Washington's Middle-East policy has failed and Americans need to display a winning ace to repair their damaged reputation, according to Fars News Agency.
"Bringing the revolutionary and popular Islamic Republic to the negotiating table is the American's winning ace as they wish to tell the world that they have goodwill; but no one sees any goodwill," Ayatollah Khamenei stressed.

"You impose - in your own words - crippling sanctions to paralyze the [Iranian] nation, does this show good or ill intention?" Ali Khamenei questioned.
Washington and its Western allies accuse Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian nuclear program, while they have never presented any corroborative evidence to substantiate their allegations. Iran denies the charges and insists that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.

Source: Fars News Agency, edited by moqawama.org