Khamenei Responds to John Kerry's Remarks: 'One Cannot Be Optimistic About You'

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, has responded to recent comments made by John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, regarding Iran's policies in the Middle East. On Wednesday, October 20, Khamenei stated, "A few days ago, one of the American officials said that as long as Iran's support for resistance remains, it is unclear whether the sanctions will fundamentally change, which is the reality we have repeatedly told the officials." The leader of the Islamic Republic, referring to what he called "the enmity of evil powers against any opposing movement," addressed the U.S. Secretary of State, without naming him, saying, "Can one be optimistic about you with such statements?" Khamenei made these remarks during a meeting with hundreds of "elite and top scientific talents" in Iran. John Kerry, in an interview with Foreign Affairs published last week, stated that Iran's policy in Yemen and its support for Bashar al-Assad, the President of Syria, as well as the Islamic Republic's assistance to Hezbollah in Lebanon complicate the process of U.S. support for Iran's banking system following the nuclear agreement. Kerry emphasized that "the U.S. has adhered to its commitments under the JCPOA" and stated that "we have even gone further and made additional efforts to encourage banks that, for various reasons, are reluctant to trade with Iran to engage with Iran." In response to the question of whether the U.S. can genuinely assist Iran in these matters, he said, "Yes. We can help with technology and some other issues. But as long as Iran is involved in Yemen and supports Assad and Hezbollah and launches missiles that people feel threatened by, and engages in such actions, the situation becomes complicated, and this makes efforts for rapid progress severely complex." However, Khamenei, in his remarks on Wednesday, spoke of "the enemy's sabotage" and said, "In private and public meetings, we have repeatedly told the country's officials that if you retreat on the nuclear issue, they will raise the missile issue; if you retreat further, they will bring up the issue of support for resistance; if you continue to retreat, they will raise human rights issues, and then if you accept their criteria, they will move on to eliminating religious criteria in governance." According to the nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers, the U.S. agreed to lift or suspend unilateral and international nuclear sanctions and some other sanctions against Iran. The Islamic Republic also halted many parts of its nuclear program. However, after the implementation of this agreement, Iranian officials have repeatedly complained about the U.S. not fulfilling its commitments under the nuclear agreement, but the U.S. denies these accusations, stating that it has gone even further than its commitments.