The senior advisor to the Leader on international affairs said the US "policy of hypocrisy" fuelled by military threats against the Islamic Republic can endanger the nuclear negotiations with the major powers, advising the US to stop making "unjustified" threats.
Ali Akbar Velayati made the remark in an interview published on the official website of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Sunday.
"If the negotiations are to progress smoothly, they should take place in a balanced situation and an interactive environment," he said, emphasizing that in the course of talks, the two sides need to adhere to the conditions set in advance.
"The US secretary of state (John Kerry) says something to our negotiators, while in their private circles he says otherwise," Velayati lamented, saying such moves only disturb the balance of the negotiations between Iran and the six major powers known as the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany).
Asked if a "good deal" will be feasible in view of US threats, he said other factors also affect the push for such an agreement. He cited remarks by the Leader and President Hassan Rouhani who have called for the total lifting of sanctions to be concurrent with the implementation of Iran's nuclear commitments under any accord.
Elsewhere, he said, "We seriously doubt if the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is not under the influence of certain P5+1 member states and if it is able to make a fair judgment." The UN nuclear agency is tasked with verifying Iran's compliance with any nuclear agreement.
*** Military Sites as Red lines
Velayati reiterated that the Islamic Republic will not allow the inspection of its military sites, saying they are part of Iranian "red lines" as set by the Leader.
"They (the Americans) repeatedly insist on violating the redlines," said the senior official, adding such a policy is in itself an obstacle in the way of sealing a final deal. "Our red lines are absolute and are not to be violated under any circumstances," he stressed.
He praised the negotiating team for observing the red lines in an effort to preserve the rights of the nation in the nuclear talks.
Deploring the US approach to the nuclear talks, the advisor said before the start of the negotiations, the US kept sending messages via some regional states who maintain friendly relations with Iran that they are willing to negotiate with Tehran and that they are ready to "recognize all of its nuclear rights."
"However, after the negotiations started, they went back on their initial promises and did not remain committed to their own pledges," he noted.
"They even go so far as to make new demands," he said, adding that such efforts are nothing but "excessive demands" on the part of the US that wrongly supposes it can compel Iran to make most of the concessions and accept minimal gains from the nuclear negotiations by exerting pressure and mounting a propaganda campaign.
Criticizing the US for interfering in regional issues, Velayati denounced the US support for the creation and expansion of terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq and its backing for the Saudi military assault against Yemen, noting such policies run counter to the US claim that it cares about the humanitarian situation in the crisis-hit Arab countries. "Who can believe such lies?" he asked.
