TEHRAN, Dec. 3 — Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Tuesday that the main problem preventing the resumption of talks between Iran and the United States is the latter’s “excessive demands.”
He made the remarks at a press conference in the Iranian capital, Tehran, on the occasion of the National Parliament Day, while elaborating on the reasons preventing the resumption of nuclear negotiations with the United States.
Ghalibaf said the United States does not want to negotiate but instead aims to impose its demands and force Iran to give in. “This comes as we demonstrated during the 12-day war (with Israel) that we neither surrender nor accept imposition.”
Ghalibaf pointed to the U.S. demand that Iran should reduce the range of its missiles, noting that defending Iran was “non-negotiable.
” He said during their recent negotiations with Iran, the Americans proved to be “conspirators and liars” and not keen on resolving problems, but pressuring and deceiving Tehran.
Ghalibaf commented on how France, Britain and Germany activated the “snapback” mechanism late in August, leading to the reinstatement of UN sanctions on Iran.
He argued that Europe triggered the snapback under U.S. pressure and did not show independent decision-making.
He further stated that because Europe obeys the United States, it no longer plays a meaningful role in Iran’s nuclear affairs.
Iran and the United States had held five rounds of indirect Omani-mediated talks on Tehran’s nuclear program earlier in the year and were about to hold the sixth one when Israel launched major surprise airstrikes on several areas in Iran on June 13, including nuclear and military sites, killing senior commanders, nuclear scientists, and civilians.
On June 22, U.S. forces bombed the three Iranian nuclear facilities of Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan.
Iran has cited the failure of the International Atomic Energy Agency to condemn the attacks on its nuclear sites and concerns about the safety of its facilities and scientists as the reasons for the suspension of cooperation with the agency. (Namibia Daily News/Xinhua)
