IRGC Commander: Negotiations are nothing but deception

Hossein Salami, commander of the Revolutionary Guards, called the negotiations “logically destroyed” and described them as a strategy by the “enemy” to defeat the Islamic Republic. Hassan Rouhani, meanwhile, stressed that Iran is “always ready to negotiate under appropriate circumstances.”

In a speech, Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of the Revolutionary Guards, described the negotiations as “logically destroyed” and called them a “deception” aimed at “defeating” the Islamic Republic.

The Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC, speaking at a ceremony in Urmia on Wednesday, August 14, claimed: "Our enemies had decided to divide Iran and submit the people of this land to their evil will, but against them there was a living truth in the name of our great Imam, and the Iranian nation, under the guidance of its great leaders, has formed the living truth of endless and invincible resistance against the oppressors and ill-wishers."

The highest-ranking official of the Revolutionary Guards also implicitly referred to the arms of the Islamic Republic's pressure in the region and once again raised the issue of "erasing Israel" and said that the "enemies" of the Iranian government "wanted to prevent the penetration of the discourse of the Islamic Revolution of Iran through the conspiracy of the Takfiris, but everyone observed that this policy not only did not prevent it, but a united front was formed against the Zionist regime, and that Hezbollah in Lebanon, with its experience in confronting proxy wars, has reached a level of power that, in a possible war with the Zionist regime, it could single-handedly wipe this regime off the map."

According to Tasnim News Agency, the Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC also mentioned the formation of "a popular force in Iraq" and claimed the defeat of "the powerful American military system" at the hands of "the popular force in Yemen" and said: "The salvation of nations lies in distancing themselves from the enemy."

The Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC said last Thursday that the United States and its allies in the region are not interested in a war with Iran, because they know that the geography of this war is "vast" and that any new war could expose Israel to a "full-scale threat."

In another part of his speech today, Hossein Salami described negotiations as "a forgotten and destroyed logic in the mentality of the Iranian people" and said: "Everyone knows that the enemy does not provide the conditions to overcome difficulties and that everything the enemy says is a recipe for our defeat; negotiations are a deception and not even a solution, and the enemies have increased the pressure and demands in negotiations, and they are asking us for surrender and not for dignity."

Rouhani: We should never run away from negotiations

The IRGC commander’s speech in Urmia coincided with the Iranian president’s remarks today at a cabinet meeting, in which he emphasized the Islamic Republic’s readiness to negotiate “under appropriate conditions.” While Hossein Salami considered negotiation to be a “forgotten logic,” Hassan Rouhani said: “Standing, resistance, negotiation, frowning, and smiling are all tools to bring us to the ultimate goal.”

The Iranian President emphasized: "We have always believed and continue to believe that we should never shy away from interaction and negotiation. Of course, the environment must be favorable and the other party must believe in negotiation and resolving issues. In that case, if all conditions are appropriate, we will always seek interaction with the world and negotiation with the other party for our goals."

While Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, has banned any negotiations with the United States and questioned the very nature of such negotiations, Hassan Rouhani has made negotiations with the United States conditional on the lifting of sanctions on Iran. He, who had previously stated that “the United States returns to the JCPOA” as one of the conditions for Tehran’s negotiations with Washington, announced last August 6 that he was ready to negotiate with the United States if “the sanctions are lifted.”

Last Sunday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman called Washington’s “waiting” for Tehran to contact him “futile,” saying, “No sane person negotiates when a gun is pointed at them.” US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly stressed the country’s readiness to negotiate with Iranian officials, said last August 1 that the Islamic Republic is in complete economic straits and is now “badly” seeking to negotiate with the US to reach a new nuclear deal.

Source: DW