Khamenei: Those who sugarcoat America's enmity are traitors

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, criticized individuals who try to justify what he called the 'harsh, terrifying, and monstrous face of America.' His latest strong criticisms of the United States coincided with a meeting of the Iranian negotiating team in Vienna, Austria, with their American counterparts to reach a solution regarding the final agreement text before the deadline of the nuclear talks. In his remarks made on Saturday, July 6, published on his official office's website, Khamenei referred to 'recognizing the enemy' as 'one of today's essential needs' and warned against 'some efforts to sugarcoat the criminal face of the enemy through propaganda and media.' Khamenei pointed to what he described as 'some examples of America's terrorist actions and its agents against the Iranian nation,' stating, 'Those who want to cover up America's malicious enmity and that of some of its followers with media and propaganda sugarcoating are, in fact, betraying the nation and the country.' The leader emphasized that 'the nation must be prepared to confront the depth of the enemy's hostility in the fields of soft warfare, including cultural, political, and social arenas.' The end of this month, coinciding with Tuesday, July 9, is the deadline set for Iran, the United States, France, Britain, China, Russia, and Germany to reach a comprehensive and final agreement on the controversial nuclear program of the Islamic Republic. Global powers want to ensure that Tehran does not use its nuclear program to develop weapons with this technology. The Islamic Republic, while rejecting this claim, demands the lifting of international sanctions against Iran. A few days ago, Khamenei also outlined several 'red lines,' stating that the 'lifting' of sanctions 'should not be conditional on Iran's commitments,' and that 'economic, financial, and banking sanctions, whether related to the Security Council, the U.S. Congress, or the U.S. government, must be immediately lifted upon signing the agreement, and the remaining sanctions should also be removed in reasonable intervals.' He stressed that Iran would not accept 'unconventional inspections, inquiries from individuals, and inspections of military sites.' However, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry responded that these remarks have 'domestic use' and that Iran 'must adhere to its commitments in Lausanne,' otherwise 'no agreement will be reached.'