In a meeting with the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Cabinet members this morning (Wednesday), Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei cited the distinctive indexes of the true Islamic rule, namely “justice, chastity, piety and standing by people” as the yardsticks to measure and assess the steps taken by officials. He also mentioned some important points regarding economy, foreign policy, unity and internal coherence, adding, “In the field of economy, hard, voluminous and high-quality work must be done and economic officials must work round the clock to solve people’s problems.”

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Speaking about European countries and the 2015 nuclear deal officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Leader of the Islamic Revolution said, “There is nothing wrong with ties and the continuation of talks with Europe. However, while carrying on with this measure, make them not pin any hope on issues such as the JCPOA or the economy.”

The Leader criticized the inappropriate conduct of Europe on issues like the JCPOA and US sanctions against Iran, reiterating, “Serious care should be taken about the direction in which the existing issues move while being constantly skeptical about their promises.” 

Ayatollah Khamenei described the JCPOA as a means to protect national interests, adding, “The JCPOA is not an end, but a means and naturally, if we conclude that safeguarding national interests is impossible through this means, we will abandon it.” 

He said, “The Europeans must conclude from the statements and actions of Iranian administration officials that their measures will be followed by corresponding initiatives and reactions of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution emphatically ruled out any negotiations with Americans, adding, “This is the outcome of negotiations with former US officials, who at least maintained an appearance. Now what negotiations can we have with the current disrespectful and brazen US officials who are making no secret of their hostility toward Iranians? Therefore, no talks will take place with Americans at any level.”  

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution said all American administrations needed negotiations with Iran, reiterating, “They want to brag that we even pulled the Islamic Republic of Iran to the negotiating table; therefore, as I fully and reasonably stated before, there will be no negotiations with them.”

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The president pointed to the US sanctions, saying, “Today, we have no political solutions before us since the government that has imposed the sanctions on Iran against all international regulations is not committed to anything.”

Rouhani stated that the goal of Americans goes well beyond mounting economic pressure, as they want to return to Iran one more time and gain dominance over the country. He reiterated, “They want to trample upon Iran’s independence again and boss the people of Iran; however, our nation will never accept such a thing and will show this to the world with its resistance and steadfastness.”

The president stressed, “By rallying behind the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and through his guidance, the entire Iranian nation will not allow enemy’s plots to be materialized.”