Velayati: Tehran not to negotiate with Trump administration

Tehran will have no meetings and talks with those working at the US President Donald Trump's administration or with any other American officials, Iran's special advisor to the Supreme Leader announced here on Friday evening.

News ID: 71190

Date: 14 July 2018 - 13:03

TEHRAN(Defapress)-Iran is not after any kind of talks with the United States, Ali Akbar Velayati told Reuters correspondent who asked if any negotiations is possible with the US officials to avoid confrontation.

Velayati arrived in Moscow on Wednesday (July 11) to convey the verbal message of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and the written message of the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to Russia's President Vladimir Putin.

During a press briefing in this Russian capital city, Velayati said the US hallucinates about Iran holding talks with it.

'They should know that Trump and other [US] officials are not even worth being addressed by Iran,' Velayati stressed.

US withdrew from the July 2015 nuclear deal which was confirmed by the UN Security Council, Velayati said, questioning 'Should Iran negotiate with such a country to receive some sort of unguaranteed words?'

Asked how Tehran will sell its oil to Moscow, Velayati said Iran is used to problems about selling oil, and the country believes that no problems will remain unsolved.

Sanctions may create difficulties, but Iran well knows about marketing and selling, Velayati added.

About relations with Moscow, the official said Iran has deals with three Russian oil companies.

Asked by Russia's RIA Novosti whether Iran is serious about possible closure of Strait of Hormuz, Velayati said Washington has threatened that it would cut Iran's oil exports from the southern Persian Gulf region, and President Rouhani has said in response that other countries are not allowed to export oil from the region if Iran is not.

The Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of Persian Gulf is the world’s most important sea lane for carrying 30 percent of crude oil.

Replying to a question of Iranian Sahar TV about the country's stance of the possible presence of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Syria-Turkey border, the senior advisor said such decisions being taken most of the times are unreasonable.

'This NATO disturbing dream under the Trump leadership will not come true.'

They have trained terrorists to topple the Syrian government, but instead they were defeated after seven years and now want to enter a direct war with Syria, Velayati said.

They know that the Resistance front with participation of Iran, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon's Hezbollah will not let the NATO forces be deployed in Syrian border, he added.

He went on to say that the US with 600,000 troops was not successful in Vietnam, so NATO should know that its presence in Syria will have a historic response by the Resistance forces.

Asked by Russia's news agency of Sputnik about Iran's viewpoint on the upcoming meeting between Trump and Putin, Velayati said it is rare for the US president to use a reasonable method during talks with his Russian counterpart.

'Contrary to Trump who is unpredictable, President Putin is predictable and follows transparent stance,' the advisor said.

Also about the remarks made by an Argentinean judge against Velayati regarding the 1994 bombings in Buenos Aires, the senior advisor said, 'Waht an anonymous judge who is on the Mossad pay list says against me does not matter.'

Replying to a question of Russia's Kommersant newspaper about the remark made by an Israeli official that Russia has helped withdrawal of the pro-Iranian forces from Syria's border point with Israel, Velayati said Iran does not attach any importance to the words of Prime Minister of the Zionist regime [Israel] Benjamin Netanyahu.

'We don’t care what he [Netanyahu] does.'

Iran cares Russia, Velayati said, adding coordination and relations between Tehran and Moscow in Syria are none of Zionist regime's business.

Asked by the Arab TV channel of Al Mayadeen about Tehran-Moscow cooperation, the senior advisor said the two countries are determined to develop and stabilize strategic relations which go back to five centuries ago.

Referring to his Thursday meeting with Russian President and Putin's stress on further Moscow-Tehran ties, Velayati said Russia might invest 50 billion dollars in Iran's oil sector in the next four years.

'Future of Iran-Russia relations is promising.'

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