President Rouhani: US in No Position to Tell Iran What to Do


President Rouhani: US in No Position to Tell Iran What to Do

TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani dismissed the US secretary of state’s harsh comments about Tehran, saying Washington is in no position to set conditions for or dictate to an independent nation like Iran.

“The Americans might be able to use threats to advance their interests under some circumstances, but it is not logical that they want to decide for the whole world,” Rouhani said on Monday evening, responding to US secretary of state’s anti-Iran speech earlier in the day.

“Who are you to decide for Iran and the world and tell Iran what to do and what not to do regarding its nuclear technology?” Rouhani said in a gathering of academics in Tehran.

In his remarks at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC, on Monday, Mike Pompeo set out 12 tough demands for inclusion in a new nuclear treaty with Iran.

The US diplomat has urged Iran to permanently shut down any nuclear-related program and give up its regional policy.

Pompeo also called on Iran to halt missile development, withdraw forces from Syria, release all US citizens as well as citizens of US partners and allies, and end support for what he called Middle East "terrorist" groups.

Elsewhere in his comments, the Iranian president said Pompeo’s speech was a reminiscent of the language used by the administration led by George W. Bush, who was tough on Iran and called the county a member of “axis of evil”.

“The Americans experienced the (language) used by Bush and came to the conclusion that it was wrong and took steps to make up (for the mistake). But now some people are repeating the same (mistake),” IFP quoted the president as saying.

“The Iranian people have defied such (threats) and will continue to defy them and follow their own path,” he underlined.

Following Pompeo’s harsh comments about Tehran, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in tweet, “US diplomacy sham is merely a regression to old habits: imprisoned by delusions and failed policies—dictated by corrupt Special Interest—it repeats the same wrong choices and will thus reap the same ill rewards. Iran, meanwhile, is working with partners for post-US JCPOA solutions.”

On May 8, US President Donald Trump pulled his country out of the nuclear deal, which was achieved in Vienna in 2015 after around two years of negotiations.

Iran and the other parties to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), namely Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany have launched talks to keep the deal in a way that Tehran’s benefits are secured.

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