Iran negotiators to resist against excessive demands: Leader

On the tenth day of the auspicious month of Ramadan, the heads of power branches, officials and government authorities as well as a group of senior managers of various sectors, members of parliament, and political activists met with the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Khamenei on Tuesday afternoon.

During the meeting, the Leader advised the Iranian officials absolutely not to tie their work planning to nuclear talks and move forward and not to let the result of the talks, whether positive or negative,  hinder their plans and the country's affairs.

The results of the negotiations, either positive or negative, should never hinder the country’s affairs, the Leader said.

Expressing his satisfaction over the performance of the Iranian nuclear negotiators at the Vienna talks and the team's coordination with the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) and other responsible officials, he added that the Iranian team to the negotiations has so far resisted and will continue to resist against excessive demands.

Ayatollah Khamenei said it was the opposite side of the talks in Vienna that failed to remain committed to its obligations.

“They are currently entangled by the [same] non-commitment,” he said. “It is they who have reached a stalemate. That is not the case with us.”

Ayatollah Khamenei said, "There is nothing wrong with criticizing the performance of the officials, but the criticism should be done optimistically and free from suspicion. One should not be suspicious of someone who is in the middle of the field and in the front line."

"I have repeatedly told that criticism should not disappoint people," he added.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Ayatollah Khamenei praised the Yemeni people’s braveries in facing the Saudi-led aggression against their country.

The Leader advised Saudi Arabia not to keep up the war that the kingdom knows would not bring any victory for it.

“Why do you go ahead with the war that you already know there is no possibility [for you] to win? Find a solution and get yourselves out of this arena,” he told the Saudis.

Ayatollah Khamenei hailed the UN-brokered ceasefire recently announced in Yemen as “very good.”

If the truce deal is truly implemented, the Yemeni people will be victorious thanks to their own bravery and the initiatives they and their leaders have come up with, the Leader added. “God will also help these oppressed people.”

Ayatollah Khamenei also pointed to the developments unfolding in the 1948 Palestinian territories, praising the Palestinian youths’ awakening, dynamism and hard work in their confrontation with Israeli occupation.

The recent activities, he added, “showed that Palestine is alive despite the attempts of the United States and its stooges [to bring about the opposite] and it will never be driven into oblivion.”

“With a continuation of the ongoing activities the Palestinian people will achieve a final victory with God’s blessing,” the Leader said.

MNA/5465715