The following article is from a Russian news source, Tass, which is controlled by the Russian Government.
“We have been sitting at the negotiating table for several years, and this very same person cast aside a completed and signed document tearing it up.” -Khamenei
DUBAI, March 12. /TASS/. Statements made by the United States about its willingness to negotiate with Iran are a deception of the global public opinion, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday.
“Statements that the US president is ready to hold negotiations and invites to the negotiating table are the deception of the global public opinion,” the ISNA news agency quoted Khamenei as saying.
“We have been sitting at the negotiating table for several years, and this very same person cast aside a completed and signed document tearing it up. What kind of negotiations we must hold if we know well that they will not work? This is why all calls and statements about negotiations are the deception of the public opinion,” he added.
US President Donald Trump announced on March 7 that he had sent a message to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calling for negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program. In response, the Iranian leader stated that the US was only guided by its own interests, which is why Tehran opposed talks with Washington.
On February 4, Trump signed an executive order to reapply maximum pressure on Iran by intensifying Washington’s efforts to reduce Iran’s oil exports. At the same time, the US leader did not rule out a potential meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and said he wanted to make a “great deal” with Tehran.
Bloomberg reported earlier, citing its sources, that Moscow had shown readiness to help Washington with talks with Tehran. Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has stated that Moscow saw the possibility of a peaceful settlement of the situation surrounding Iran’s nuclear program, which is of serious concern for Washington.
Chinese Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Mao Ning announced earlier in the day that Beijing would host on March 14 a meeting with the participation of China, Russia, and Iran on the Iranian nuclear issue.
On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with US bloggers that Moscow would be in favor of resuming the dialogue on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear program in the format endorsed by the UN Security Council with the participation of Russia, the United States, the UK, France, Germany, China and Iran.
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal, was signed by Iran, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (Russia, the United Kingdom, China, the United States, and France) and Germany in 2015 to resolve the crisis surrounding the country’s nuclear program.
The United States withdrew from the agreement in 2018 under President Donald Trump and re-imposed all sanctions on Iran that had been lifted under the deal. Russia, China, the US, the UK, Germany, and France resumed talks with Iran in April 2021, aiming to restore the JCPOA, but the negotiations ended without reaching a resolution in 2022.
Source: Tass.com
