Iran’s supreme leader dismisses US threats as nuclear talks restart, warning American warships could be sunk and rejecting preconditions.
TEHRAN: Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (pic) declared the United States would fail in its attempts to destroy the Islamic republic. He made the statement as a second round of talks between Tehran and Washington began in Geneva.
“In one of his recent speeches, the US president said that for 47 years America has not succeeded in destroying the Islamic republic… I tell you: you will not succeed either,” Khamenei said in a speech on Tuesday.
The latest negotiations follow Washington’s deployment of an aircraft carrier group to the Gulf. This move came after Iran’s deadly crackdown last month on anti-government protests triggered by economic hardship.
Khamenei also issued a stark warning regarding the US military presence. He stated that the American warship deployed in the Gulf could be sunk.
“We constantly hear that they (the United States) have sent a warship toward Iran. A warship is certainly a dangerous weapon, but even more dangerous is the weapon capable of sinking it,” he said.
The supreme leader expressed deep scepticism over the potential outcome of the negotiations with the US. He criticised American calls for Iran to abandon its nuclear programme as a precondition.
“If there are to be negotiations — because there is no real room for negotiation — determining the outcome of the negotiations in advance is a mistake and madness,” Khamenei said.
A key sticking point remains Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium, which had reached 60% purity before last year’s war with Israel. The United States has repeatedly called for zero enrichment and seeks to address Iran’s ballistic missile programme and its regional support for militant groups.
Iran has insisted its right to enrich uranium is non-negotiable. Tehran maintains the talks should be focused solely on the nuclear issue.
“The statements of the American president, at times threatening and at times dictating what should and should not be done, reveal a desire to dominate the Iranian nation,” said Khamenei.
The first round of this renewed dialogue was held earlier in February. Previous talks had collapsed during the Iran-Israel war in June, which saw the US join briefly with strikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities.
The Sun Malaysia
