07-18-2015, 10:47 AM
Sat Jul 18, 2015 3:28am EDT
DUBAI/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei withheld his verdict on Iran's nuclear deal on Saturday but in a fiery address vowed enduring opposition to the United States and its Middle East policies,saying Washington sought Iran's 'surrender'.
In an speech at a Tehran mosque punctuated by chants of "Death to America" and "Death to
Israel", Khamenei said he wanted politicians to
examine the agreement to ensure national
interests were preserved, as Iran would not
allow the disruption of its revolutionary principles or defensive abilities.
An arch conservative with the last word on high matters of state, Khamenei repeatedly used the phrase "whether this text is approved or not", implying the accord has yet to win definitive backing from Iran's factionalized political establishment.
"Whether the deal is approved or disapproved,
we will never stop supporting our friends in the
region and the people of Palestine, Yemen,
Syria, Iraq, Bahrain and Lebanon. Even after this deal our policy toward the arrogant U.S. will not change," he said.
Under the agreement reached on Tuesday,
sanctions will be gradually removed in return for Iran accepting long-term curbs on a nuclear program that the West has suspected was aimed at creating a nuclear bomb. Iran denies it seeks a nuclear bomb.
Khamenei's combative remarks about U.S. policies in the Middle East may sit awkwardly with a diplomatic offensive Foreign Minister
Mohammad Javad Zarif plans in coming days in the wake of the deal.
"INSULT"
Iran regards its nuclear program as an emblem
of national dignity and dynamism in the face of
what it sees as decades of hostility from
Western countries that opposed its 1979 Islamic revolution. Khamenei did not echo criticisms of the deal made on Friday by a top cleric, Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Movahedi Kermani, who said in an address broadcast on radio that it reflected excessive demands by world powers that were an "insult".
But Khamenei's remarks radiated a broad
mistrust of U.S. intentions, claiming that
successive American presidents had sought
Iran's "surrender", and declaring that if war
broke out America would come off worst, nursing "a broken head".
"The Americans say they stopped Iran from
acquiring a nuclear weapon," Khamenei said. "They know it’s not true. We had a fatwa
(religious ruling), declaring nuclear weapons to
be religiously forbidden under Islamic law. It had nothing to do with the nuclear talks."
He said the slogans of "Death to America" and
"Death to Israel" chanted at demonstrations in
Iran this week supporting the Palestinian cause showed what Iranians think and "shook the atmosphere of the country".
"We have repeatedly said we don't negotiate
with the U.S. on regional or international affairs; not even on bilateral issues. There are some exceptions like the nuclear program that we negotiated with Americans to serve our
interests.
Read Full Story Here
DUBAI/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei withheld his verdict on Iran's nuclear deal on Saturday but in a fiery address vowed enduring opposition to the United States and its Middle East policies,saying Washington sought Iran's 'surrender'.
In an speech at a Tehran mosque punctuated by chants of "Death to America" and "Death to
Israel", Khamenei said he wanted politicians to
examine the agreement to ensure national
interests were preserved, as Iran would not
allow the disruption of its revolutionary principles or defensive abilities.
An arch conservative with the last word on high matters of state, Khamenei repeatedly used the phrase "whether this text is approved or not", implying the accord has yet to win definitive backing from Iran's factionalized political establishment.
"Whether the deal is approved or disapproved,
we will never stop supporting our friends in the
region and the people of Palestine, Yemen,
Syria, Iraq, Bahrain and Lebanon. Even after this deal our policy toward the arrogant U.S. will not change," he said.
Under the agreement reached on Tuesday,
sanctions will be gradually removed in return for Iran accepting long-term curbs on a nuclear program that the West has suspected was aimed at creating a nuclear bomb. Iran denies it seeks a nuclear bomb.
Khamenei's combative remarks about U.S. policies in the Middle East may sit awkwardly with a diplomatic offensive Foreign Minister
Mohammad Javad Zarif plans in coming days in the wake of the deal.
"INSULT"
Iran regards its nuclear program as an emblem
of national dignity and dynamism in the face of
what it sees as decades of hostility from
Western countries that opposed its 1979 Islamic revolution. Khamenei did not echo criticisms of the deal made on Friday by a top cleric, Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Movahedi Kermani, who said in an address broadcast on radio that it reflected excessive demands by world powers that were an "insult".
But Khamenei's remarks radiated a broad
mistrust of U.S. intentions, claiming that
successive American presidents had sought
Iran's "surrender", and declaring that if war
broke out America would come off worst, nursing "a broken head".
"The Americans say they stopped Iran from
acquiring a nuclear weapon," Khamenei said. "They know it’s not true. We had a fatwa
(religious ruling), declaring nuclear weapons to
be religiously forbidden under Islamic law. It had nothing to do with the nuclear talks."
He said the slogans of "Death to America" and
"Death to Israel" chanted at demonstrations in
Iran this week supporting the Palestinian cause showed what Iranians think and "shook the atmosphere of the country".
"We have repeatedly said we don't negotiate
with the U.S. on regional or international affairs; not even on bilateral issues. There are some exceptions like the nuclear program that we negotiated with Americans to serve our
interests.
Read Full Story Here
Semper Fidelis
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