صراط عشق صراط عشق
Conveying five requests of President Donald Trump, Abe Shinzo met on Thursday morning with Ayatollah Khamenei who explicitly refused to get involved in any form of dialogue with American president, saying that Trump did not deserve to be given any message.
Trump had told Abe that no one but the Japanese premier was capable to convey his message to Tehran.
Many analysts held, before the meeting of Thursday, that a visit of Japanese prime minister to Iran for the first time in the last 40 years was intended to convey a secret message of Trump to Ayatollah Khamenei; a speculation that was materialized and attested after the content of the meeting between Ayatollah Khamenei and Abe was rolled out.
Trump had told Abe that his administration was not seeking a regime change in Iran.
The Islamic Revolution’s Leader replied, “Our problem with the United States is not about regime change. Because even if they intend to pursue that, they won’t be able to achieve it; just as previous US presidents tried to destroy the Islamic Republic of Iran during the past 40 years, and failed. What Trump says, that he is not after regime change, is a lie. For, if he could do so, he would. However, he is not capable of doing it.”
Then the Japanese premier touched upon the second request of Trump, saying that Washington was eager to discuss nuclear issue with Iran, which was again dismissed by Ayatollah Khamenei.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran negotiated for 5 to 6 years with the United States and the Europeans — the P 5+1 — which led to an agreement. But the United States disregarded and breached this definite agreement. So, what common sense would once again allow negotiations with a state that has thrown away everything that was agreed upon?”
He pointed to the forty years of hostility that the US has showed to the Iranian nation and its continued hostility, and said, “We believe that our problems will not be solved by negotiating with the US, and no free nation would ever accept negotiations under pressure.”
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution pointed to the process of negotiations with the US that led to the formation of the 2015 nuclear deal, and said, “After the nuclear agreement, the first person to immediately breach the JCPOA was Mr. Obama himself; the same person who had asked for direct talks with Iran and had also sent a mediator.”
“This is our experience, and rest assured Mr. Abe that we will not repeat it,” he underlined.
The third request of Trump which was voiced by Abe was that the US was determined to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear arms.
Then Ayatollah Khamenei reminded that he had already issued a Fatwa (religious decree) on prohibiting unconventional weapons.
The Leader said, “We are opposed to the nuclear weapons and my religious Fatwa bans production of nuclear weapons but you should know that if we intended to produce nuclear weapons, the US could do nothing and its non-permission was not an obstacle.”
The fourth request made by Trump and conveyed by Abe was that the US was after honest and sincere talks with Iran.
Ayatollah Khamenei told Abe, “We do not believe that at all. Because genuine talks would not come from someone like Trump.”
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution went on saying, “Honesty and genuineness are very rare among US officials.”
He then added, “The President of the US met and held talks with you a few days ago, including about Iran. But after returning from Japan, he immediately imposed new sanctions against Iran’s petrochemical industries. Is this a message of honesty? Does this show that he wants to hold honest talks?”
The last request that Abe quoted Trump making, was US president promise that negotiations with Washington would be beneficial for Tehran, “Negotiating with the US will help Iran progress”.
Ayatollah Khamenei responded, “By God’s grace, we will progress without negotiating with the US and despite the sanctions.”
Abe, heading a high-ranking politico-economic delegation, arrived in Tehran on Wednesday on a three-day visit to discuss bilateral ties and cooperation. According to Japanese media, mediation between Iran and the US is on his agenda.
The visit came more than one year after Washington’s abrupt withdrawal from the landmark nuclear deal that led to the lifting of economic sanctions on Iran. Japan is not a member of the deal but has been a supporter.
Before making the trip official, Abe and Trump had a phone conversation on Tuesday about the Japanese prime minister’s trip to Tehran.
The US president’s anti-Tehran top aide, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, has recently claimed that Washington is ready to engage in talks with the Islamic Republic without preconditions, and his boss has reinstated harsh economic sanctions against Iran to force Tehran back to the table – a desire that has not yet come to reality. Washington has also escalated America’s military presence in the Persian Gulf – recently sending an aircraft carrier group, a squadron of B-52 bombers and additional Patriot air defense systems as a “message” to Iran. Trump claimed that the United States is not seeking armed conflict with Tehran, calling for negotiation with Iran to reach a new deal. The US president also introduced sanctions on third countries that would do business with the Islamic Republic. Dependent on Iranian oil, Japan is one such country.
In May, Iran announced it was suspending some of its commitments under the nuclear deal, setting a 60-day deadline for the five remaining parties to the deal — France, Germany, the UK, China and Russia — to take practical measures towards ensuring Tehran’s interests in the face of the American sanctions.
