Iran's military commander rules out talks with U.S.

World
Europe

The U.S. pressures cannot bring Iran back to the negotiating table over the existing issues, chief commander of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said on Tuesday.

"The idea that Tehran would agree to negotiate with Washington amidst its pressures is an illusion," Mohammad Ali Jafari was quoted as saying by Tasnim News Agency.

"There is nothing in history to show that Iran will surrender to the U.S.'s demands even in the face of heavy economic pressure," he said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in October that Iran would not sit for talks with the United States over the existing issues as the conditions were not ripe.

Following U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to quit the historic Iran nuclear pact on May 8, the United States reimposed sanctions against Iran and vowed to inflict punishments like secondary sanctions on nations that have business links with Iran.

Trump's administration has called for renegotiation of the Iranian 2015 nuclear deal as well as Tehran's developing missile program. Iran has ruled out possibility of talks over defense plans.

(Cover: On the eve of the renewed sanctions by Washington, Iranian protesters demonstrate outside the former U.S. embassy in the Iranian capital Tehran, November 4, 2018, marking the anniversary of its storming by student protesters that triggered a hostage crisis in 1979. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency