Velayati: Iran Has No Desire to Negotiate with the US Government

Ali Akbar Velayati, advisor to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic on international affairs, who traveled to Russia, emphasized the Islamic Republic's distrust of the United States on Friday, July 13, stating that "Iran has no desire to negotiate with the US government." The special envoy of the Iranian presidency remarked, "The US is unreliable, so why negotiate with them again?" These statements come as US President Donald Trump recently said about Iran, "I know they are having a lot of problems now and their economy is collapsing. But let me tell you this: the time will come when they will call me and say 'let's make a deal.' They are suffering a lot right now." Trump, who announced his country's withdrawal from the nuclear deal with Iran, also stated in mid-June that "Iran is no longer like it was a few months ago. Their leaders have changed, and I hope they reach a point where they come to us, sit down to negotiate, and reach an agreement that is good for them, for us, and for everyone." The US describes Iran's regional policy and its "threat" against US allies in the region, especially Israel, as destabilizing and calls for a "change in behavior" from the Islamic Republic. Iran, in turn, assesses the United States as a "threat" to the region. The US has recently been working to further reduce Iran's oil exports in its efforts to change the Islamic Republic's behavior. On Friday, Velayati also mentioned this issue during his speech at the Valdai Discussion Club in Moscow, stating: "Despite the sanctions, Iran sees no insurmountable obstacles to selling its oil. We continue to export our oil even under sanctions. If Iran cannot export its oil from the Persian Gulf, no one else can either." Velayati's remarks echo similar positions recently emphasized by President Hassan Rouhani and some military leaders of the Islamic Republic, interpreted as a threat to close the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf. One day after Rouhani's statement, Captain Bill Urban, a spokesman for the US Central Command, warned that the passage in the Persian Gulf must remain open to tankers, and the US and its allies are prepared to keep this passage open. Velayati arrived in Moscow on Wednesday, July 11, and upon arrival told reporters that he was "carrying a message from the Leader to the President of the Russian Federation in the current sensitive conditions." The visit of the Supreme Leader's international advisor coincided with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's trip to Moscow, where he is also expected to meet separately with President Putin. Velayati stated: "Iran's presence in Syria will continue. I believe if we leave this country (Syria), and Russia leaves after us, the same previous terrorists will return to the region." The United States and its allies are calling for a reduction of Iran's influence in Syria, and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently emphasized the need to end Iran's military presence in Syria in Washington's "roadmap" regarding Iran. In Moscow, Velayati responded to these requests, saying: "We will only leave this country if the Syrian officials tell Iran that they no longer need our military advice. The Iranian military advisors stationed in Syria and Iraq are present at the request of their governments and legally in these countries." The special envoy of the Iranian president emphasized: "We did not come to Syria with the permission of the US, so we will not leave this country at their request. It is Iran that doubts the goals and legitimacy of the Americans' presence in Syria." The Supreme Leader's advisor even stated that "if the US does not leave the Middle East, we will force them to leave (the region)... The US request for the withdrawal of Iranian forces from Syria aims to disrupt the allies of this country." Israel also has a similar request for the end of Iran's presence in Syria, and Velayati addressed his allies, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, saying: "Ignore Israel's claims about the withdrawal of Iranian and resistance forces from the southern borders. Iran's presence in Syria has nothing to do with Israel. Iran coordinates its presence in Syria with Moscow and Damascus and does not need to comply with Israel's demands." Meanwhile, the Israeli Prime Minister, who is also in Moscow, stated in his meeting with the Russian President that his clear message is that his country opposes any Iranian presence in Syria. Benjamin Netanyahu described his meeting with Putin as "very important."