"The US behavior is our yardstick… my personal understanding is that Americans want negotiation but are not after finding solutions to the problems," Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian said on Wednesday.
"If Americans are really after finding a solution, it should be evident in their practical behavior. But now they are practically seeking to humiliate the Islamic Republic of Iran and shatter its awe and clout," the diplomat said, adding that the US is seeking to offset its failure in the Middle-East.
However, the senior foreign ministry official voiced Iran's preparedness for talks, and noted, "Anyway, we are not against sanctions, but there are conditions for talks. Iran's might (and awe) should be respected in the talks."
Last month, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei slammed the US statesmen's contradictory remarks and actions, and stressed that Iran would reject the US offer of direct talks and negotiations as long as the White House continues its policy of deceit.
Addressing thousands of visitors from the Northwestern city of Tabriz on February 16, the leader lambasted the US officials' illogical behavior, which, he said, is comprised of contradictory remarks and actions and a spirit of bullying.
"Americans expect others to give in to their illogical words and bullying as some have done, but the Iranian nation and the Islamic Republic does not surrender because it has logic, ability and power," underlined the Leader.
In his remarks, Ayatollah Khamenei laid emphasis on five points, including, the illogical and contradictory remarks and actions of the US statesmen, and American officials' attempts to make the Iranian nation surrender through talks and negotiations, and said Washington is lying about the removal of the sanctions through negotiations and Iran will continue its logical attitude towards the US offer of talks.
The Leader said the US statesmen made the offer of direct talks with Iran in a bid to lead the Iranian nation and ruling system to surrender, "because they want to show to the revolting Muslim nations of the region that the Islamic Republic of Iran was eventually made to sit to the negotiating table despite all its resistance and toughness, and that they, thus, have no other option but to give up and surrender".
He said the hegemonic powers have long sought to discourage the Muslim nations by bringing Iran to the negotiating table to make a deal with them, "but the Islamic Republic of Iran with its eyes wide open sees their goals and gives a proper response to those goals".
He said the US and the West want to dictate their words to Iran through negotiations, "and in pursuit of the very same illogical outlook, they have said in their recent propaganda that they intend to have direct talks with Iran in a bid to convince and make it give up its nuclear energy and enrichment program. If they had really wanted real and logical talks, they should have said that they would negotiate so that Iran raises it arguments and reasoning and that issues are studied fairly".
Ayatollah Khamenei further noted the history of Iran-US talks in recent decades, and said Americans have demanded and had talks with Iran twice or three times in the last 15 years, but every time Iranians put forward their logical words in those talks, "the Americans didn't have any answer to those logical statements of Iran and interrupted the negotiations, but pretended through the network of their international media that Iran had halted the talks".
The Iranian Supreme Leader further asked if there is any more need to attend talks with the US while Washington has repeatedly proved to be illogical in negotiations with Iran.
Yet the Leader said, "If Americans show both in their words and actions that they are not illogical, then they would see that the Islamic Republic and the Iranian nation are benevolent and favor interaction and logic."
"This is the only way to interact with the Islamic Republic of Iran, and in that case the US administration would receive a proper response," Ayatollah Khamenei reiterated.
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