News - Middle East: Leader of the Islamic Revolution [in Iran] Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says experience has shown that negotiations with the US have no effect on solving Iran's problems.

His remarks in a meeting with Air Force commanders in Tehran on Friday came hours after the US imposed its first sanctions in the wake of President Donald Trump’s signing of an order to reimpose his “maximum pressure” on Iran.  

"Negotiations with the US have no effect on solving the country's problems, we must get this right," Ayatollah Khamenei said. 

"They should not pretend to us that if we sit at the negotiating table with that government, the problems will be solved. No; negotiating with the US will not solve any problems. The reason? Experience!"  

Ayatollah Khamenei recalled 2015 when Iran and six other countries, including the US, signed a nuclear deal after two years of negotiations, only to be discarded by President Trump.

"In this treaty, the Iranian side was very generous, giving many concessions to the other side. But the Americans did not implement the same treaty," the Leader said.

"The same person who is in office now tore up the treaty. He said he would tear it down and he did; they didn't act upon" the agreement, he said.

Neither did the successors of the Trump administration implement the agreement, Ayatollah Khamenei added.

“The treaty was meant to lift US sanctions, but they were not lifted. Adding insult into injury, they had the UN to have a constant threat hanging over Iran. This treaty was the product of negotiations that lasted about two years.”

Iran is currently in the midst of celebrations marking the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in 1979 which sealed the fate of the US-backed Pahlavi regime.

Every year on February 8, Iranian Air force personnel meet the Leader to relive the historic allegiance of Air Force officers with the late founder of the Islamic Republic Imam Khomeini. The event is viewed as a turning point which led to the victory of the Islamic Revolution three days later.

Ayatollah Khamenei said the Americans are busy working “on paper to change the map of the world”, with Iran also being the subject of their plans.

“Of course, it's only on paper, it has no reality. They also talk about us, make comments, and threaten us," the Leader said.

Ayatollah Khamene said, “If they threaten us, we will threaten them. If they put their threat into practice, we will do the same. If they attack the security of our nation, we will attack their security without hesitation."

“This is a lesson taken from the Qur’an and the teachings of Islam, and it is our duty to act as such. We hope that God Almighty will make us successful in carrying out our duties," he added.

Source: Press TV