No Rational Reason to Negotiate with US: Iran’s Shamkhani

Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani rejected the possibility of any negotiations between the Islamic Republic and the US, saying there is no rational reason for dialogue with a country that reneges on its pledges.

News ID: 70383

Date: 27 May 2018 - 11:54

TEHRAN (Defapress) – “There is no rational reason to negotiate with a country that does not adhere to its obligations,” Shamkhani told the Arabic-language Al Jazeera network.

“By leaving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the US has practically torn up this international agreement,” he added, referring to a recent move by US President Donald Trump to walk away from the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.

“As a matter of fact, since the beginning of the formation of the JCPOA, the US had taken steps on the path of non-commitment with its repeated violations (of the deal), and eventually withdrew from it unilaterally,” he said.

“Can this country be trusted? The US cannot be trusted for negotiation by any means,” the Iranian official went on to say.

In a speech from the White House on May 8, Trump pulled his country out of the JCPOA, which was achieved in Vienna in 2015 after years of negotiations among Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany).

Following the US exit, Iran and the remaining parties have launched talks to save the accord.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei has underlined that any decision to keep the JCPOA running without the US should be conditional on “practical guarantees” from the three European parties to the deal.

In comments on May 23, Ayatollah Khamenei stressed that Europeans must protect Iranian oil sales from the US pressure and continue buying Iranian crude, and must promise they would not seek new negotiations on Iran's missile program and regional activities.

“European banks should safeguard trade with the Islamic Republic. We do not want to start a fight with these three countries (France, Germany and Britain), but based on their past records, we don't trust them either,” the Leader said.

“Europe should fully guarantee Iran’s oil sales. In case Americans can damage our oil sales..., Europeans should make up for that and buy Iranian oil,” Ayatollah Khamenei stated.

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