Ayatollah Khamenei: Negotiation with the U.S. Cannot Lead to Agreement

On Wednesday, September 10, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran accused both American parties of committing "various crimes and atrocities" and stated that no government in the U.S. can reach an agreement or common ground through negotiation. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei deemed the U.S. government as "lacking moral authority" to comment on the Islamic Republic of Iran, asserting that "neither of the two main parties has moral authority, as both have committed various crimes and atrocities." He accused the Democratic Party, which supports the current U.S. government, of "creating dangerous terrorist networks" and stated: "The current U.S. government appears to attack one terrorist group while exempting another, which signifies the dominance of politics over ethics." The Iranian leader also held the previous U.S. administration responsible for the "atrocities and crimes committed in Iraq and Afghanistan, resulting in the deaths of millions of innocent people," adding that "therefore, neither of the two prominent parties in the U.S. holds moral superiority over the other." Khamenei made these remarks during a visit to an exhibition showcasing the achievements of the Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics. He emphasized that Americans, in negotiations, seek to impose their demands rather than reach an understanding, stating: "We are dealing with such governments in America, and to think that negotiation can lead to agreement and common ground is a mistake." On September 3, he had also accused the U.S. of "bad faith and betrayal" regarding the JCPOA, asserting that "no promises made by any U.S. government can be trusted and that one should not take action based on their promises." He had previously accused the U.S. of failing to fully implement its commitments under the JCPOA. In another part of his speech on Wednesday, he considered the increase of Iran's "defensive and offensive capabilities" as an "absolute and undeniable right" and stated: "We must enhance our defensive capabilities so that arrogant powers feel threatened." The Supreme Leader of Iran noted that "chemical and nuclear weapons are prohibited based on religious and ideological principles," adding: "The prohibition of chemical weapons is in the offensive context, but increasing capabilities in defensive sectors against chemical attacks is not problematic." Khamenei had previously described the halt of Iran's defensive advancements, which he claimed was demanded by Western countries, as "foolishness" and emphasized the necessity of Iran's defensive readiness against the West. He also called for Iranian military forces to "increase their military and defensive preparedness, combat organization, and morale preparations" on a "daily basis," labeling this as an "official directive." While Ayatollah Khamenei emphasizes the increase of Iran's "offensive and defensive capabilities," in recent months, Iran's missile tests have faced severe reactions from the United States and European powers. The U.S., France, the UK, and Germany have deemed these tests as a disregard for United Nations resolutions and have called on the Security Council to address them. According to these countries, the missiles tested by Iran are capable of carrying nuclear warheads and are therefore inconsistent with UN Security Council Resolution 2231. However, Iranian officials maintain that Iran's ballistic missiles are defensive in nature and do not have the capability to carry nuclear warheads, thus asserting that their test launches do not violate the mentioned resolution.