Iran supreme leader says 'obvious mistake' to negotiate with US
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Monday that Iran has filed a complaint with the International Court of Justice to 'hold US accountable for its unlawful re-imposition of unilateral sanctions.'
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Saturday it would be an "obvious mistake" to negotiate with the United States as Washington was unreliable.
"The word and even the signature of the Americans cannot be relied upon, so negotiations with America are of no avail," Khamenei said in a meeting with Foreign Ministry officials, adding that negotiations with Washington would be an "obvious mistake", according to his official website.
"As I have previously said, we cannot trust in the words of the United States and even in their signature, so negotiations with the United States are useless," Khamenei told a gathering of Iranian diplomats in Tehran.
"The idea that problems can be resolved through negotiations or relations with the United States is a major error," he added.
Having withdrawn from the landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers, Washington is determined to isolate Iran and pile on economic pressure with a full reimposition of sanctions, starting in August.
Europe opposes the move and has vowed to find ways of maintaining its trade ties with Iran, which under the deal curbed its nuclear programme in exchange for a lifting of sanctions.
"Negotiations with the Europeans must continue, but we must not wait for their offer indefinitely," said Khamenei.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Monday that Iran has filed a complaint with the International Court of Justice to “hold US accountable for its unlawful re-imposition of unilateral sanctions.”
Zarif issued the state following Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s call for better ties with the world — though not with the US.
“Iran is committed to the rule of law in the face of US contempt for diplomacy & legal obligations. It’s imperative to counter its habit of violating int’l law,” Zarif posted on Twitter.
Zarif did not elaborate but Iranian officials have repeatedly accused the US of imposing illegal sanctions on Iran after pulling out of the nuclear deal as well as breaching the deal before the pullout.