Addressing a group of academicians, researchers and elites, Ayatollah Khamenei referred to escalating pressures from the US to bring Iran to back to the table of negotiations and stressed: By returning to the negotiation table, they mean we negotiate with the US.
The Supreme Leader assured his audience that Iran welcomes negotiating with other governments, and asserted: Otherwise we have no problems negotiating with others or with Europeans. In negotiating with others and with Europeans, our only concern is the issue to be negotiated.
Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized that the Islamic Republic will never trade its core values, and maintained: "We will not negotiate on the core issues of the Revolution. Negotiations on this issue imply trading; that is, they mean we give up on our defensive capabilities. We will not negotiate our military capability."
The Supreme Leader described negotiations as a pretext the United States uses to pressure Iran and held: The US' tactic is to enhance its strategy of pressuring Iran. They want to cash in on the pressures through negotiation.
His Eminence added: The US targets assets of a country by pressuring it; to further their goal, they employ pressure" as a means. They also have a tactic and that is negotiation.
Ayatollah Khamenei elaborated on how the United Studies pressures nations into negotiating and trading their national assets, saying: They pressure until the adversary gets tired, and then propose to negotiate. This negotiation is complementary to the pressure and aims to cash in on the pressures. They impose pressure and then propose to negotiate. This is what negotiation means to them. Their strategy is not negotiation. It is pressure. Negotiation is part of the pressure strategy.
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution regarded resistance as the countermeasure in face of pressures by the US and held: The countermeasure for us is to use our own means of pressures to contend their pressure. However, if we are deceived by their call for negotiations and consider our means of pressures unnecessary, we would slip and that equals absolute defeat.
Ayatollah Khamenei advised Iranian officials as well as the general public against giving in to pressures, and said: When you do not use your means of pressure, the enemy will relax and continue pressuring.
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution described Iran’s national points of strength as including nuclear science, asserting that: Our strength is in nuclear science and we are not after nuclear weapons either. Not because of the sanctions or the [pressures from] the United Studies, but because of our ideology that deems nuclear weapons forbidden from the point of view of Fiqh and religion.
Ayatollah Khamenei slammed those who consider producing nuclear weapons as a method of deterrence and declared: Some have suggested producing but not using nuclear weapons. This is also wrong. We would spend a lot to produce them without using it and the enemy knows we would never use them. So they would be ineffective for us.
Addressing the issue of the senior National Security Council’s advice on where to hold enrichment levels, Ayatollah Khamenei maintained: For now the ruling made by the Higher Commission for National Security will be implemented and for later whatever necessary. Stopping at current levels is meaningless. As for now, the Acts of the Supreme National Security Council will be executed. If needed, we will use our next tactics in the future.
His Eminence went on to say: The only way for us is to apply our tactics of pressure in face of the pressures that the US applies. Contrary to their propaganda, these tactics are not military--though we might use military means if we find it necessary.
Ayatollah Khamenei added that Iran would not abide by part of its JCPOA commitments as a step predicted within the framework of the deal and said: What the Supreme National Security Council did by saying that we would not perform our commitments in this sector was appropriate.
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