Rezayee Rejects Talks with US Due to Washington's Double-Standard Policies

"The US is leading the sanctions against Iran and has stonewalled the negotiations with the Group 5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany) and then states that it wants to negotiate (with Iran)," Rezayee, a potential candidate of the June 14 presidential election, said on Wednesday.

"We should say in response that you are mistaken. Our word with you has a revolutionary rationale," he said, and underlined that Iran would not negotiate under the conditions of pressures and sanctions.

His remarks came after Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei on Thursday dismissed the US offer of direct talks with Iran, saying that the proposal has been made in word, while Washington's actions show a different course, meaning that the offer is nothing but a cunning move.

Addressing a gathering of Iranian Air Force commanders and personnel here in Tehran, the Leader rejected the US statesmen's remarks that the ball is now in Iran's court, and said, "The ball is in your court because you should answer and say if speaking of negotiations concurrent with pressures and threats basically bears any meaning."

"Negotiation is meant to prove the goodwill. But you make tens of (hostile) actions with ill intention and then speak of negotiations in words. Can the Iranian nation believe that you are driven by goodwill," the Leader continued.

He further stated that the US needs talks with Iran because Washington's Middle-East policy has proved as a failure and Americans need to show a winning ace to repair their damaged reputation.

The Iranian Supreme Leader's remarks came after US Vice-President Joe Biden, speaking at this year's Munich Security Conference, reiterated previous indications that the US was prepared to talk one-on-one with Iran.

In a relevant development on Sunday, huge masses of people from all walks of life, who converged on streets and squares all over the country to express their support for the cause and ideals of the Islamic Revolution on the occasion of the Revolution anniversary, in a final statement rejected the US offer of direct talks with Iran as a "cunning move".

"The vigilant and united Iranian nation still considers the US as its number one enemy and the renewed plan for negotiating with Iran under pressure and threat is the winning card needed by the US for compensating the White House's regional failures and is a deceitful move for bringing the Islamic Republic's revolutionary and popular system to the negotiating table," part of the statement read.

It further said that any attempt to attend talks with the US before Washington proves its goodwill through practical measures is against the public will, national interests, and the country's development and is also a step towards opening the path for the United States' new dominance and hegemony and will be a betrayal of the ideals of the founder of the Islamic Republic, the late Imam Khomeini, and Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei and the country's martyrs.

The United States and Iran broke diplomatic relations in April 1980, after Iranian students seized the United States' espionage center at its embassy in Tehran. The two countries have had tense relations ever since, but have shown willingness to attend talks to help resolve regional issues, including security in Iraq. Yet, the two countries have avoided talks on bilateral issues for the last thirty years.

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.
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