Larijani Criticizes Obama's Stance on Nuclear Negotiations: You Are Acting Like a Merchant

Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, reacted on Tuesday, February 10, to some recent remarks by the U.S. President regarding nuclear negotiations, stating that "the Western side has mistaken the negotiation arena for a marketplace. Negotiations are a field of dialogue, not a field of merchant-like behaviors." According to Mehr News Agency, Larijani continued by saying that "nuclear negotiations are beneficial and can resolve misunderstandings, but some are behaving like merchants and are looking for bargaining." Barack Obama, on Monday, February 9, in a joint press conference with the German Chancellor, stated that if the nuclear talks with Iran reach a deadlock by this spring, the United States would not accept another extension of the negotiation deadline with Iran. The American newspaper Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that Obama implicitly referred to a decision aimed at increasing pressure on Tehran to agree to a final nuclear deal. In response, Ali Larijani said on Tuesday: "When a country has mastered a science, you cannot take that knowledge away from it. If you are saying these things to increase pressure on Iran in negotiations, know that the Iranian nation will stand firm." The U.S. President also mentioned that the differences between the world powers and Iran in the nuclear negotiations "have been sufficiently reduced and the situation has become clear enough." He added that it is now up to the Iranian leaders to decide whether they want an agreement in this regard. He further stated that the options available to the U.S. if the parties fail to reach an agreement are "limited"; Obama emphasized that "these options are not attractive." He noted that in the nuclear negotiations with Iran, "the issue is no longer technical" and stated, "We have reached a point where they [the Iranians] need to make their decision." In response to these remarks, Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, on Tuesday pointed out that "good progress has been made" in the nuclear negotiations with world powers and stated that the Islamic Republic has taken the "necessary steps" and it is now "the turn of the other side." Meanwhile, Ali Akbar Velayati, an advisor to the Supreme Leader on international affairs, also reacted on Tuesday to Obama's positions on the nuclear negotiations, stating that as the Supreme Leader has said, "the hands of the Islamic Republic of Iran are not tied and are completely open, and it is the hands of the Americans that are tied." He added: "Because they cannot impose their demands to prevent the advancement of science and technology on the Islamic Republic of Iran." Velayati emphasized that "our negotiators will also operate powerfully within the framework outlined by him [the Supreme Leader]." According to Fars News Agency, Mohammad Reza Naqdi, the head of the Basij Organization, also reacted on Tuesday to Obama's new statements, saying: "Now everyone is seeing that the Islamic Republic has been willing to adjust its expectations in multiple areas to reach an understanding and show flexibility, but the arrogant America, despite these lengthy negotiations and the concessions it has received, explicitly states that our goal is to force Iran to surrender to our views." He added: "The Americans say let’s reach an understanding that Iran will be limited in its nuclear activities, but we will not lift the sanctions; whereas the entire premise of those who supported negotiations with America was that with this negotiation, the sanctions would be lifted, and if the sanctions are not to be lifted, what is the point of negotiating at all?" Naqdi stated: "It is very clear that any agreement without the simultaneous lifting of all sanctions is completely unacceptable."