Khamenei: If the nuclear issue progresses, sanctions will not be lifted

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, once again predicted that international sanctions against Iran would remain even if a nuclear agreement is reached, and he called for the country to stand firm against the sanctions. He also accused the United States of providing military assistance to the Islamic State group. According to the official website of Ayatollah Khamenei on Wednesday, February 17, he stated in a gathering with a group of people from Azerbaijan, Iran, regarding international sanctions against Tehran: "Serious work must be done. We can resist against the sanctions and thwart the enemies' goals. If we do not, the enemy will impose conditions on our nuclear program and impose sanctions." He added, "The enemy is making the maximum use of the weapon of sanctions, and its goal is to stop the movement of the people." The leader of the Islamic Republic further stated: "I believe that if the nuclear issue progresses as they dictate, the sanctions will still not be lifted because they oppose the essence of the revolution." Ayatollah Khamenei had made a similar prediction late last year, saying that "even if negotiations yield results, sanctions will remain because the nuclear issue and human rights are merely excuses, and global bullies are afraid of the independence-seeking and exemplary nature of the Iranian nation." Iran and the 1+5 group are in the midst of extensive negotiations that reached a milestone last December with a temporary agreement in Geneva, which led to a reduction of international sanctions against the Islamic Republic and the release of part of Iran's frozen assets in other countries. However, Khamenei has expressed pessimism about the outcome of the negotiations, which are set to continue until July. In another part of his remarks on Wednesday, he referred to the Islamic State group (ISIS) and the international coalition against it, which is led by the United States. Ayatollah Khamenei said: "In the hypocritical coalition formed against ISIS, they wrote a letter to the Iranian Foreign Ministry stating that we do not support ISIS. However, photographs of U.S. military assistance to ISIS were available to revolutionary fighters." In November, the Wall Street Journal reported that President Barack Obama had addressed common interests in the fight against ISIS in a confidential letter to Ayatollah Khamenei, which provoked severe criticism from American Republicans. However, Khamenei later called the international coalition against ISIS a "pure lie" and stated that ISIS, under the guise of Islam, serves the interests of the U.S., Israel, and European countries. The Wall Street Journal, however, reported on February 13 that this time Ayatollah Khamenei wrote a letter to Barack Obama discussing the possibility of cooperation between Tehran and Washington in the fight against ISIS if an agreement is reached on Iran's nuclear issue. This report was denied by the Iranian Foreign Ministry.