BICOM

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei yesterday dismissed the possibility of direct talks with the United States over Tehran’s nuclear programme.

The possibility of such a meeting was raised last weekend by US Vice President Joe Biden, who said at an international security conference in Germany, that Washington is prepared for direct talks with Iran, “when the Iranian leadership, supreme leader, is serious” to engage in a “real and tangible” discussion. Initially, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akhbar Salehi appeared to embrace the suggestion and said on Sunday that it would be given “serious consideration” so long as “the other side comes with authentic intentions with a fair and real intention to resolve the issue.”

However, in a sharp statement issued yesterday, Khamenei, who is regarded as Iran’s ultimate arbiter on nuclear issues, put paid to the prospect of talks with the United States saying that they “would solve nothing.” Referring to a range of economic sanctions placed on Iran, which have been spearheaded by the United States, Khamenei said “You point a gun at Iran and say ‘either negotiate or we pull the trigger’. You should know that pressure and talks do not go together, and our nation will not be intimidated by such threats.” He added, “An offer of talks only makes sense when the other side shows good will.”

Khamenei’s statement comes after an agreement was reached on Tuesday for Iranian officials to meet later this month in Kazakhstan with representatives of the so-called P5+1 powers – the US, UK, China, Russia, France and Germany – who are leading the international effort to resolve concerns over Iran’s nuclear development. The two sides last met in June, but previous talks have failed to achieve any significant progress.