Iranian Deputy FM Rejects Direct, Indirect Talks with US

During the meeting in Masqat on Sunday, Araqchi warned of the US and its allies' sabotage measures, and said that Iran is ready for establishing balanced relations with all regional countries in the Persian Gulf based on mutual respect.

He referred to the failure of sanctions policy against Iran, and noted that Tehran does not seek tensions in the region.

Araqchi also rejected any type of direct or indirect talks with the US.

Bin Alawi, for his part, urged all sides to exercise restraint, calling for continued consultations between the two countries' officials.

In relevant remarks on Sunday, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyed Abbas Mousavi dismissed claims by a Kuwaiti official on the start of talks between Tehran and Washington.

"There are no direct or indirect talks between Iran and the US," Mousavi stressed.

Iranian officials have repeatedly underscored that Tehran would never sit to the negotiating table with Washington.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei told a gathering of senior Iranian officials that he saw no possibility of war between Tehran and Washington, adding that the recent US military buildup in the region only aimed at frightening Iran to yield to the White House demands, but Iran stands strong.

Addressing the heads of the country’s executive, judiciary, and legislative branches as well as other senior officials, parliamentarians, and important figures in the country’s political, social, and cultural spheres earlier this month, Ayatollah Khamenei ruled out the possibility of war between the United States and Iran despite heightened tensions between the two sides, saying Washington knows engaging in such a conflict would not be in its interest.

The Leader further said any confrontation between the US and Iran would not be “a military one,” and that “there was not going to be any war”.

“The Iranian nation’s definite option will be resistance in the face of the US, and in this confrontation, the US would be forced into a retreat,” Ayatollah Khamenei said. “Neither we nor they, who know war will not be in their interest, are after war.”

Ayatollah Khamenei further explained that the confrontation between the two sides is “a clash of wills,” asserting that Iran would be the ultimate victor of this battle.

The Leader ruled out any negotiation with the US as long as Washington sticks with its hostile approach against the Islamic Republic, saying Washington would be attempting to undermine Iran’s “points of strength,” such as its defensive power or its strategic regional influence, in any such interaction.

As an example, Ayatollah Khamenei said, “They (Americans) say we should negotiate over your (Iran’s) defensive weapons, (questioning) why do you build (for instance) a missile with a given range. Reduce the range (of your missiles, they say,) so you would not be able to hit our bases.”

The Leader further played down Washington’s highly belligerent rhetoric against Iran, saying its real capability did not match its loud bluster, and that it “needs to engage in (such bluster).”

Ayatollah Khamenei said Washington gives priority to Israel’s interests over the benefits of all others, adding, “The control of many affairs rests in the hands of the Zionist society.”

The Leader pointed to the absence of integrity in the US administration, noting how various American officials contradict each other on a daily basis. The American society, he added, is also afflicted with rampant socioeconomic problems and violence.

Ayatollah Khamenei, meanwhile, also highlighted how Washington’s policies regarding Europe and Asia had backfired.

“In (its) policy of confrontation with the Islamic Republic too, the US will definitely suffer defeat, and (the situation) will end up to our benefit,” the Leader said, citing warnings by American analysts that Washington’s pressure on Tehran would, contrary to its intended purpose, trigger an “economic mutation”.

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