The Iranian government has rejected US President Trump’s offer to talk without preconditions, and it’s based on Trump’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear non proliferation agreement termed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Trump’s words came after a fiery tweet, wherein he threatened Iran for threatening the US. Essentially, as long as America is not a party to the JCPOA, Iran is not interested in holding talks with the Americans.
Express reports
IRANIAN officials have rejected President Donald Trump’s offer to hold talks without preconditions, with President Hassan Rouhani branding the US’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal as “illegal”.
President Trump suggested on Monday a meeting between the leaders could take place, just a week after threatening the Middle Eastern nation in a fiery tweet.
The US leader’s proposition was rejected by a series of Iranian officials, including Ali Motahari, the deputy speaker of Iran’s parliament.
Speaking to the Official Islamic Republic News Agency, he said: “Today, negotiations with the US bring humiliation.
“For now, it’s not appropriate to talk to the US.
“If Trump had not withdrawn from the nuclear deal and not imposed sanctions on Iran, there would be no problem with negotiations with America.”
Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, chairman of Iran’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, added: “As long as the Americans bring up negotiations with a forceful attitude, there will be no negotiations.”
This sentiment was echoed by the head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), who stated Iran would not buckle to requests for negotiations like North Korea.
IRGC commander Mohammad Ali Jafari told Fars News agency: “Mr Trump, Iran is not North Korea, we will not accept your offer for a meeting.
“Even US presidents after you will not see that day.”
The US administration’s decision to withdraw from the Iran Nuclear deal has empowered fervent critics of the US in Iran, advocating for decreased engagement.
Moderate Iranian politicians, including President Rouhani, have also taken an increasingly hard-line stance in response to the US’s reimplementation of sanctions, which have caused economic damage to the country.
President Rouhani threatened to disrupt oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz if renewed US sanctions strangle Iran’s oil sales.
He said: “No one who really understanders politics would say they will block Iran’s oil exports, and we have many straits, the Strait of Hormuz is just one of those.
“Mr Trump, we are the honest men who have throughout history guaranteed the safety of the region’s waterways.
“Do not play with the lion’s tail, it will bring regret.”
President Trump responded definitely, stating: “To Iranian President Rouhani: Never, ever threaten the United States again or you will suffer consequences the likes of which few throughout history have suffered before.
“We are no longer a country that will stand for your demented words of violence and death. Be cautious!”
President Trump’s offer of holding a meeting without preconditions contradicts statements made by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who stated on CNBC on Monday that preconditions did exist before a meeting could take place.
The US official outlined 12 demands in May that the government of Iran would have to meet before the US would consider entering into a new nuclear agreement with the country.
A senior official at the State Department also indicated on Tuesday that Mr Pompeo will not meet his Iranian counterpart, Javad Zarif, at a meeting of south-east Asian nations in Singapore this weekend.
One might be tempted to say ‘it’s the sanctions, dummy!’, since that’s what’s doing the harm to Iran. Iran’s economy, currency, and exports are due to take massive hits once those sanctions go into effect in August, and on oil exports in November. Meanwhile, Iran’s economy is already seeing investments drop like a rock, and the same could be said for its currency, the Rial. Additionally, America is funding, arming, and backing Iran’s enemies in the Middle East, notably in the proxy war in Yemen of the Saudis against Iran’s allies the Houthis.
The post Iran rejects Trump’s offer for talks appeared first on The Duran.