Khamenei slams US for attempting to weaken Iran
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday said that the US “will not give up” on attempting to weaken Tehran and gain influence over the country.
“America lost a huge asset, a huge political and economic opportunity with the Islamic Revolution. And then, how much has it spent in the past forty years to be able to take Iran out of the grip of the Islamic Revolution and put it under its control and power, and it has not been able to do so,” Khamenei said in a speech.
Responding to criticism regarding negotiations with European countries, Khamenei called the US different and said that negotiations are difficult.
“The difference is America had taken possession of this place and their grip was pulled out of their grasp. Their hatred for the country and the revolution is a vicious hatred. They will not give up on it that easily. This is different from the European countries,” he stressed.
But Khamenei also said that Europeans are not “dear friends of Iran.”
He emphasized that Tehran and Washington will remain “enemies.”
On Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Tehran is prioritizing efforts to release the country’s frozen assets by European countries and the US through diplomatic measures with large sums remaining blocked.
US and European countries have continued to impose sanctions to hold Iran accountable for its actions and attacks targeting Western allies.
The US in 2018 under former president Donald Trump’s administration withdrew from the nuclear deal with Iran, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and imposed biting sanctions on Tehran.
The JCPOA was signed between Britain, France, China, Germany, Russia, Iran, and the US in 2015, offering Tehran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program to ensure it does not enrich enough uranium to develop a nuclear weapon.
Iran’s vice president for strategic affairs in November said that Trump should not return to“the wrong policies” of his past term when he resumes office, referring to the heavy sanctions imposed on Iran.
“America lost a huge asset, a huge political and economic opportunity with the Islamic Revolution. And then, how much has it spent in the past forty years to be able to take Iran out of the grip of the Islamic Revolution and put it under its control and power, and it has not been able to do so,” Khamenei said in a speech.
Responding to criticism regarding negotiations with European countries, Khamenei called the US different and said that negotiations are difficult.
“The difference is America had taken possession of this place and their grip was pulled out of their grasp. Their hatred for the country and the revolution is a vicious hatred. They will not give up on it that easily. This is different from the European countries,” he stressed.
But Khamenei also said that Europeans are not “dear friends of Iran.”
He emphasized that Tehran and Washington will remain “enemies.”
On Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Tehran is prioritizing efforts to release the country’s frozen assets by European countries and the US through diplomatic measures with large sums remaining blocked.
US and European countries have continued to impose sanctions to hold Iran accountable for its actions and attacks targeting Western allies.
The US in 2018 under former president Donald Trump’s administration withdrew from the nuclear deal with Iran, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and imposed biting sanctions on Tehran.
The JCPOA was signed between Britain, France, China, Germany, Russia, Iran, and the US in 2015, offering Tehran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program to ensure it does not enrich enough uranium to develop a nuclear weapon.
Iran’s vice president for strategic affairs in November said that Trump should not return to“the wrong policies” of his past term when he resumes office, referring to the heavy sanctions imposed on Iran.