Khamenei's Advisor Warns of Threat to Negotiations

Ali Akbar Velayati, the international affairs advisor to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, has warned that if the U.S. continues what he calls 'contradictions and military threats' against Iran, 'the essence of the negotiations [on the nuclear issue] will be at risk.' In an interview published on Sunday, May 17, Velayati stated that the military threats from the U.S. have 'no practical backing' and described the U.S. as having become a 'Don Quixote, merely living in the illusion of superpower status, threatening others based on its past.' He emphasized that 'negotiations must proceed based on the initial agreements' and that 'the Americans should not continue in their own way, threatening and trying to achieve their goals through political duplicity.' Velayati elaborated that 'on one hand, the U.S. President says if Congress wants to do something, we will veto it, and on the other hand, he agrees to a bill being passed in Congress that contradicts the agreement.' He described this as 'a kind of contradiction in words and actions' and added that 'if these contradictions are compounded by threats, one of the results will be that the essence of the negotiations is at risk.' In recent weeks, amid the latest deadline for Iran and world powers to conclude nuclear negotiations, several senior U.S. officials, including Vice President Joe Biden, have emphasized that the U.S. remains willing to take military action to stop Iran's nuclear program if necessary. The U.S. Congress has also passed a plan that allows it to oversee any potential nuclear agreement with Iran and even reject it if possible. The Obama administration has stated that the President will sign the bill due to changes made in it. However, the President has the right to veto against potential Congressional opposition to the final agreement. Ali Khamenei has previously criticized the U.S., stating that he does not agree with negotiations 'under the shadow of threats' and added: 'Just a few days ago, two U.S. officials threatened that we would conduct a military attack; first of all, you are wrong. Secondly, I said during the previous U.S. President's time, who threatened, that the era of hit-and-run is over.' Velayati further stated that American negotiators are 'stepping back from their initial promises' and provided an example: 'For instance, regarding Fordow, after much effort from our negotiating team, they accepted an agreement, but in the next round of negotiations, they said different things that contradicted their previous statements; meaning they were not even committed to their own promises.' He gave another example: 'It was agreed that a resolution would be passed in the Security Council to annul previous resolutions against Iran. Therefore, it no longer makes sense for Iran to remain under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, while they say Iran must remain under Chapter VII for a long time.' Velayati emphasized that 'such a thing is unacceptable.' Representatives from Tehran and world powers are currently engaged in negotiations to draft a document that is intended to serve as a comprehensive and final agreement, which will both end part of Iran's nuclear activities and provide a way out of sanctions. Iran, the U.S., the U.K., France, Russia, China, and Germany have set July 1 as their final deadline for reaching a comprehensive agreement.