Iran's Leader: The Results of European Engagements Have Not Been Tangible So Far

The leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran once again accused the United States of failing to fulfill its commitments under the Vienna nuclear agreement and of intimidating countries that intend to cooperate with Iran, stating that the results of the visits by European governments and companies and their negotiations with Iran have "not been tangible so far." According to the state news agency IRNA, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi on Tuesday, April 24, referred to the "important issue" in the visits and foreign negotiations as the "operational and executive realization of agreements." Khamenei emphasized that "some European governments and companies are visiting Iran and negotiating, but the outcome of these negotiations has not been tangible so far." He added, "Some blame this issue on the Americans, which seems to be a reasonable assessment given their history and behavior." The Supreme Leader accused American officials of not acting as they should in fulfilling their commitments under the Vienna nuclear agreement and of frightening counterparts from cooperating with Iran through their statements and actions. Referring to Hassan Rouhani's European trip to Italy, Khamenei described Iran's view of this country as "positive and optimistic" and added, "Of course, we do not have this positive view of some European countries, as their perspective is solely focused on the U.S. to act according to its dictates." Khamenei had also stated in a meeting with members of the Assembly of Experts last March that the visits of European delegations had "no positive effect." In his remarks on the first day of Farvardin in Mashhad, he also stated that the U.S. is practically violating its commitments under the Vienna nuclear agreement by fostering doubt and fear in the international banking network, and "foreign banks are unwilling to deal with Iran for fear of the U.S." Chris Backmeier, a U.S. State Department official, rejected the Supreme Leader's claim, stating, "We act in good faith and have never intended to create ambiguity or deceive anyone." Khamenei has designated the year 1395 (2016) as the year of "resistance economy, action, and implementation," a term used to describe an economy independent of foreign countries, especially during sanctions. Last year's trip of the Iranian president to Italy and Paris resulted in the signing of several economic memoranda between Tehran and Paris and Tehran and Rome, including a memorandum for the purchase of 118 Airbus aircraft from France. However, some close associates of the Supreme Leader, including Kazem Sedighi, the Friday prayer leader of Tehran, referred to Western sanctions against Iran as a "blessing" and criticized the contracts signed during these trips. In his meeting with Renzi on Tuesday, the Supreme Leader described Italy's behavior during the Western sanctions against Iran as "more logical than that of some Western countries." According to the report from the Supreme Leader's office, Matteo Renzi also stated in this meeting, "Italy's will is entirely in line with respecting agreements, and based on this, we believe that sanctions against Iran should be lifted with the nuclear agreement, and we are not worried and are determined to act according to the promise we made." The Italian Prime Minister arrived in Tehran on Tuesday with a "250-member delegation" of officials and economic and political managers from his country. Sigmar Gabriel, the Vice Chancellor and Minister of Economy of Germany, Heinz Fischer, the President of Austria, Johann Schneider-Ammann, the President of Switzerland, and Alexis Tsipras, the Prime Minister of Greece, were among the European officials who visited Iran last year.