Zarif on American Officials' Statements: Meeting for the Sake of Meeting Has No Meaning

Iran's Foreign Minister says there is 'no plan' to meet with his American counterpart in Singapore, stating that 'meeting for the sake of meeting has no meaning' given Washington's 'non-compliance' with its commitments. Mohammad Javad Zarif, who is in Singapore for the 51st ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting, made these remarks in an interview with the Iranian news agency IRNA. His comments come after U.S. President Donald Trump expressed a willingness to meet without 'conditions' with Iranian leaders on August 30. Zarif stated that 'Americans must show that meetings lead to agreements that are respected.' He added, 'We have not lacked meetings with the U.S.; perhaps we had the most meetings with Americans in the last two years, but the current government has shown that it is not committed to its obligations, and meeting for the sake of meeting has no meaning.' The Iranian Foreign Minister criticized what he called America's 'addiction' to sanctions and noted that 'distrust towards U.S. commitments is a reality that exists not only in Iran but around the world.' Zarif had previously responded to Trump's proposal for an 'unconditional meeting' with Iranian officials by stating that Washington should only blame itself for ending negotiations with Tehran after withdrawing from the nuclear agreement. While some Iranian officials, including Ali Akbar Nategh Nouri, a member of the Expediency Discernment Council, have said that the Islamic Republic should not reject negotiations with the U.S., Mohammad Ali Jafari, commander of the Revolutionary Guards, stated that such a meeting will never take place. President Hassan Rouhani and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, have yet to respond to Trump's remarks. In addition to military commanders, including Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force, Iran's Interior Minister has also stated that 'America does not dare to confront Iran at all because it knows well that if it starts a war, it will not be the one to end it and will not determine the battlefield.' Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said on Thursday that America stands against Iran on 'three levels: military, social, and economic,' but 'they themselves know that they will not achieve anything on the military level.' He also stated that the 'most important' precondition for negotiations with the U.S. is 'returning' to the JCPOA and 'apologizing to the world.' After Hassan Rouhani described war with Iran as 'the mother of all wars' and peace with Iran as 'the mother of all peace,' Trump warned him to 'never threaten America again.' Trump is calling for renewed negotiations regarding Iran's nuclear and missile programs and the Islamic Republic's actions in the region, repeatedly labeling the JCPOA as 'the worst' agreement the U.S. has ever signed. Earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated that if Iranian leaders 'demonstrate a commitment to fundamentally change their treatment of their own people and reduce their destructive behavior in the region,' Trump is ready to negotiate with them. On Wednesday, a U.S. State Department official denied reports of a possible meeting between Mike Pompeo and Mohammad Javad Zarif in Singapore.