Iranians skeptical about US calls for direct talks: MP
Iran Press TV
Sun Mar 24, 2013 12:50PM GMT
An Iranian lawmaker says the country remains skeptical about the US intentions and cannot trust Washington's calls for direct negotiations.
"They have always lied about this issue and therefore have been never considered trustworthy by our country," Mousalreza Servati said on Sunday.
"When Americans persist in their hostilities and do not miss any opportunity to deal a blow on us in economic, political and international arenas, speaking of ties with Iran is nothing but deception," he argued.
The Iranian legislator criticized the United States for its attempts to derail the Islamic Republic's nuclear energy program over the past years.
Iran voluntarily suspended the implementation of its nuclear program in the past years as a good-will gesture, but they [the Western states] refused to fulfill their commitments, he explained.
"If they are honest, they [should] put an end to their hostilities against the Islamic establishment in order to prove their honesty not only in words but in practice as well," Servati urged.
"As long as the US refuses to change its behavior and policy, our position on this issue remains unchanged," he added.
On February 22, US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the US was willing "to meet bilaterally with the Iranian side," repeating an offer Vice President Joe Biden had made earlier at the 49th annual Munich Security Conference in Germany on February 2.
Only four days after Biden's offer of talks, the US Treasury Department announced new sanctions to prevent Iran from gaining access to earnings garnered from its crude exports.
On February 7, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei slammed Washington's dual approach, saying "You should know that pressure and negotiations do not go together, and the [Iranian] nation will not be intimidated by such things."
MRS/SS
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