Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei described the Republican US senators’ letter to Iran on a prospective nuclear deal as an indication of “the collapse of political ethics” in the United States.
“Countries typically remain committed to their undertakings (under the deals they sign with other countries) after a change of administration,” Leader said in an address to members of the Assembly of Experts in Tehran on Thursday.
“But the American senators announce officially that after the current US administration, they will consider the agreement invalid. Isn’t this the ultimate sign of the collapse of political ethics and internal disintegration of the US system?” IRNA quoted him as saying.
The open letter, signed by 47 Republican senators and released on Monday, said any nuclear deal with Tehran could only last as long as US President Barack Obama holds office.
The Iranian negotiators know how to work their way toward securing a solid deal which the other party will not be able to violate, Ayatollah Khamenei noted.
Economic Ills
The challenges facing the country, which have partly resulted from the disputes between Iran and the US and some European countries, including the nuclear issue, can only be addressed through “the identification of root causes to arrive at a logical solution” the Leader said, citing the problems caused by sanctions as an example. “Studies have revealed the (main) causes of (such problems) are the country’s over-reliance on oil and a largely state-run economy in which the public has a small role.”
“If we had not tied the country’s economy and the life of the nation to oil revenues and had avoided sticking to the mistake of nationalizing everything as happened after the revolution, and instead, had truly involved people in economic activities, could the enemy have created these problems through imposing sanctions on our oil and government bodies?”
Ayatollah Khamenei reiterated his support for the negotiating team praising the diplomats for being “trustworthy, reliable and conscientious”.
Elsewhere, he expressed mistrust toward the US, saying, “I am concerned since the other side is tricky, deceitful and a backstabber.”
“Whenever a deadline to reach an agreement in the talks draws near, the Americans turn to a harder, harsher and more violent tone to achieve their goals. This is a trick we should be wary of.”
Describing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “a Zionist clown”, the Leader denounced his remarks about Iran in a recent address to the US Congress and criticized some US officials for going along with Netanyahu to call Iran “a supporter of terrorism”.
“While the Americans and their allies in the region have created the most evil and ruthless terrorist group Daesh (the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) and its likes and still support them, they level such accusations at the Iranian nation and the Islamic system,” he stated.
Prior to the Leader’s speech, the newly elected Chairman of the Assembly of Experts Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi delivered a report on the topics discussed at the meeting of the clerical body on Tuesday and Wednesday, including the resistance economy, the status of Islam in today’s world and Islamophobia in the West.
