Imam Khamenei: European JCPOA not helping Iran’s economy

(AhlulBayt News Agency) - In a meeting with the heads of three branches of the Iranian government and a group of officials and authorities on Wednesday 23rd of May 2018, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei pointed to profound, fundamental and continuous enmity of the US toward the essence of the Islamic Republic and the Iranian nation, stressing, “The defeat of the US in the recent case would become certain and incontrovertible if [Iranian] officials fulfilled their duties.”     

During the meeting, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution made important remarks on two subjects, including “the correct conduct vis-à-vis the US, the JCPOA (Iran's 2015 nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) and Europe” and “the requirements for and necessities of a breakthrough economic movement inside the country,” recalling several didactic experiences in Iran’s relations with the West and outlining Europe’s necessary guarantees for the continuation of the JCPOA.

At the beginning of his remarks, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution described the auspicious month of Ramadan as a special opportunity for freshening up the spirit of faith and spirituality, reiterating, “This opportunity is available to all people; however, this month is twice advantageous for the country’s elites and managers so that they may enhance their spirituality for carrying out their heavy responsibility through greater contact with God, prayer and supplication.”    

Ayatollah Khamenei then proceeded to his main argument and pointed to various stages of the Islamic Republic Establishment and key tests at each of these junctures, saying, “In the past 40 years, the Islamic Republic has went through all these junctures and their assorted developments with power, steadfastness and prudence and will also pass through the current juncture with power and prudence and continue on its path to progress.”

He added, “From the outset of the Islamic Revolution and in all these junctures, the American regime has been the main enemy of the Iranian nation and has utilized every political, economic, security, military and propaganda tool and ploy, but has also failed in every instance.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution pointed to the repetition of the term “regime change” in the remarks of US officials, saying, “This is not a new expression and American officials have been using it since the early years after the triumph of the Islamic Revolution. Even that president who said we are not seeking regime change [in Iran], was after regime change and his intentions and goals became clear.”   

He stressed that according to the divine tradition, there is no doubt in the defeat of the enemy, reiterating, “The fate of the current American president will be no better than that of his predecessors such as [George W.] Bush and [Ronald] Reagan and he will be lost in history like them.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution added, “Of course, according to the divine tradition, we also shoulder some duties and if we do not fulfill these duties, there cannot be any certainty about the achievement of intended outcomes.”

Ayatollah Khamenei said the requisite for performing responsibilities and adopting the right decision at the present juncture is taking advantage of previous experiences, and on this basis, he enumerated six important experiences and lessons regarding the United States.

Stating the first experience, he said, “The sum of America’s behavior since the beginning of nuclear negotiations until now leads to this important experience that the Islamic Republic of Iran cannot interact with America, because America is not committed to its obligations.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution stressed, “It should not be said by some that the failure to honour commitments is only related to the current [US] president [Donald Trump] and this administration. No; even the previous administration, which negotiated with us, acted in a similar way and they, too, violated the JCPOA and imposed sanctions on Iran.”

The Leader pointed to the remarks made by the country’s diplomats about the repeated violation of the letter and spirit of the JCPOA by the US, adding, “There can be no interaction with an administration that violates international treaties easily and coolly. The experience of the JCPOA is a response to all those who asked, ‘Why don’t you negotiate and interact with America?’ Therefore, everyone should learn the lesson of this experience and know that it is impossible to negotiate and interact with such an administration.”

Ayatollah Khamenei reiterated, “The experience of America breaching its promise is not exclusive to Iran, because America has even treated and is still treating its yes-men and lackeys such as [the ousted monarch of Iran] Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and [the ousted Egyptian leader] Hosni Mubarak in the same way.”

The Leader cited the revelation of profound animosity of the United States toward the Islamic Republic of Iran as the second experience, saying, “In negotiations during recent years and after the JCPOA, it became very clear that issues such as [Iran's] nuclear and missile [programs] are not the main issues, but profound opposition and antagonism of America toward the essence of the Islamic Establishment and the Iranian nation is due to the glory of this establishment in a sensitive region and the promotion of the spirit of resistance and indiscriminate opposition to America’s oppression and the raising of the flag of Islam, and they want to strip the Islamic Establishment of its power and might components.”   

Ayatollah Khamenei then pointed to another experience and said, “Any flexibility against America on account of temporary expediencies will not only fail to diminish its hostility, but will also make this enemy more brazen.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution pointed to flexibility of the Iranian administration toward America under former US president, George W. Bush, reiterating, “At that time and despite this flexibility, Bush dubbed the Islamic Republic of Iran as [a member of] the axis of evil.”

Ayatollah Khamenei also pointed to the sanctions slapped by the US administration on Iran following conclusion of the JCPOA, adding, “Many of these sanctions drew [Iran's] protest, but no strong action was taken as a result of which the US president speaks more brazenly and outrageously [now].”

Stressing that that the way to preventing US enmity is not to back down and show flexibility, the Leader said, “This is not particular to Americans; all of the Western countries are mostly like this and we will not forget the time when our president supported lenience toward the West, but this same president was summoned to court by Germany for baseless issues.”

Outlining the fourth experience, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution stressed, “Standing up to Western countries will make it very possible [for us to be able] to force them into retreat.”

To further elucidate these experiences, Ayatollah Khamenei pointed to the nuclear developments that unraveled from 2004 to 2005, saying, “In those years, in order for Iran’s nuclear dossier to take its normal course at the [UN atomic] agency, it was agreed that the nuclear facilities [of Iran] must be shut down and sealed, but in the face of these flexibilities and retreats [by Iran] at the time, they told the Iranian delegation that all of Iran’s nuclear facilities must be dismantled and destroyed.”

He added, “They would not even permit the launch of two or three centrifuges at the time, but when we stood up against their excessive demands and broke the seals and our faithful and revolutionary youths carried out 20-percent [uranium] enrichment, the Western [sides] started begging and while agreeing to 3.5-percent enrichment, accepted continued operation of five to six thousand centrifuges.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution stressed, “Indeed, the root cause for the recognition of Iran’s right to enrichment is not negotiations, but advances made by our young scientists and the achievement of 20-percent enrichment; otherwise they would never have recognized our right through negotiations.”

Summing up this experience, Ayatollah Khamenei said, “In the face of the excessive demands of the opposite side, a courageous move must be made.”

He cited Europe taking sides with the US in the most important cases as the fifth didactic lesson, adding, “We have no intention of fighting with Europe, but these three European countries have shown that they stand by the US at the most critical junctures.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution cited the reprehensible move by the French foreign minister during nuclear talks, who played the good cop and bad cop game along with the US, and the British government’s effort to block Iran's right to purchase yellow cake under the JCPOA as instances of Europe taking sides with the US, stressing, “The Europeans say some things, but we have not seen them stand up to the US in the true sense of the word.”

Stating the sixth experience with regard to the JCPOA, Ayatollah Khamenei said, “In recent years, the lesson was learnt that tying the resolution of domestic issues, particularly economic issues, to the JCPOA and [what exists] beyond borders is a big mistake.”

The Leader added, “When we tie economic and business issues to the JCPOA, the result is that employers and investors await the signing of the JCPOA for several months and after that they await its implementation or non-implementation and then they wait [to see] if the US will stay in the JCPOA or not and ultimately the country’s active economic apparatus is always waiting for [what] foreigners [do].”

Rounding up his discussions related to the experiences of the JCPOA, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution stressed, “Care should be taken with regard to other issues so that these experiences are not repeated and we should not fall for the same ploy twice.”  

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution said pinning hopes on issues such as the US losing credit or the emergence of an apparent rift between the US and Europe in the recent case runs counter to making use of experiences, adding, “These are facts, but did we negotiate for these things to take delight in them now.”

He reiterated, “The goal of the nuclear talks was the removal of sanctions [imposed on Iran] and many of them were not removed, while they have recently threatened that despite the emphasis by the United Nations resolution, they will reinstate the sanctions.”

Also mentioning an important and fundamental point, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution warned “political, administrative and media elements” against criticizing each other on the JCPOA, stressing, “There is nothing wrong with correct, fair and rational criticism, and officials must also pay attention to them; however, insult, desecration, accusation and the creation of bipolarity [in the society] over the JCPOA must not happen and unity and unanimity must not be violated.”

Ayatollah Khamenei went on to raise a fundamental question, “What is the correct approach to the JCPOA after the US withdrawal?” Stating a number of points in response to this question, the Leader said, “The first point is that we must see issues realistically and without pinning hope on probabilities, [and] share them with the people explicitly and realistically.”  

In this regard, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution pointed to the false assumption of the delivery of 100 billion dollars to the country after the conclusion of the JCPOA, adding, “Unfortunately, some conveyed this delusional assumption to the people.”  

The second point that the Leader of the Islamic Revolution outlined about “the correct approach to the JCPOA under the current circumstances” was the reality that the country’s economy cannot be fixed through a “European JCPOA.”

He added, “A European JCPOA is of course an issue; however, many pieces of evidence such as the abandonment and skepticism of big European companies and remarks made by officials of the three European countries show that the country’s economy cannot be advanced through a European JCPOA.”

Ayatollah Khamenei pointed to the treachery and dishonesty of the three European countries in the early 2000s over the nuclear issue, adding, “The Europeans must prove that they do not intend to repeat that breach of promise.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution criticized the three European countries for not protesting the repeated US violations of the spirit and letter of the JCPOA, adding, “Had they protested against the US, it might not have come to this; the Europeans must make up for this negligence.”  

Ayatollah Khamenei said the US withdrawal from the JCPOA is a violation of the UN Resolution 2231, adding, “The Europeans must draft a resolution against the US at the [UN] Security Council and protest against the US move.”

Outlining the necessary conditions for continuing with the JCPOA alongside the Europeans, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution said, “The heads of the three [European] states must make a commitment and pledge that they will by no means raise the issue of missiles and Iran’s regional presence.”

Ayatollah Khamenei cited the explicit opposition of Europeans to any US sanctions against Iran as another necessary condition, reiterating, “Let it be known that the Islamic Republic will definitely not give up its power components, including long-range defence.”

The Leader described strategic depth as another component of Iran’s might, adding, “Presence in the region and nations’ support for the Islamic Republic is our strategic depth and no wise administration disregards these empowering factors.”  

Ayatollah Khamenei also described people’s unity and assembly under the flag of Islam and the Establishment’s pride in Islamic slogans as a source of consolidation and strength for the country.

Regarding the necessity of obtaining guarantees from the Europeans for the continuation of the JCPOA, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution said, “If the Americans succeed in disrupting Iran’s oil sales, the Europeans must guarantee the purchase of oil from Iran as much as we require.”

Getting assurances from European banks about receiving and paying sums related to state and private-sector transactions with the Islamic Republic was another point mentioned by Ayatollah Khamenei in this regard.

The Leader said, “Iran has no fight with the three European countries; however, considering the track record of Europeans, we do not trust them and, therefore, they must provide real guarantees.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution stressed, “If the Europeans procrastinate in responding to our demands, Iran’s right to restart halted nuclear operations is reserved.”

He called upon the officials of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran to be prepared for the potential resumption of these activities, adding, “We will not begin 20-percent enrichment now; however, if it becomes necessary and we see that the JCPOA is of no benefit, you must be ready and the activities ceased as a result of the JCPOA must be resumed.”   

The second part of the Leader’s remarks in the meeting with officials of the Islamic establishment was dedicated to domestic issues.

The Leader described the issue of economy as the foremost issue of the country, adding, “The activities of the administration must continue through the expansion of services, but despite all the efforts [that are bring made], the country’s economic situation is not commendable and many people are under the intense pressure of high prices and [other] problems.”

Ayatollah Khamenei said the resolution of the economic problems, in the first place, hinges on the heart-felt belief of the officials in some issues, adding, “We must deeply believe that economic problems are resolvable through reliance on the plentiful potentialities inside the country and Western prescriptions cannot resolve the country’s problems and difficulties neither in the field of economy nor in other fields, such as population [control].”

Addressing the officials, the Leader said, “Delegating jobs to foreigners must only take place as a matter of urgency, given their failure to keep their promises, and we must only turn to others when we have lost hope in domestic capacities.”

Pointing to natural and mineral resources and reserves, territorial potentialities, young and educated manpower, access to international waters and other positive points of the country, Ayatollah Khamenei stressed, “Experts believe that if Iran uses these potentialities correctly, it will become one of the advanced economies.”

The Leader added, “Making plans, formulating strategies and making progress must be done in view of these realities.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution pointed to his meeting a few weeks ago with state officials about economic issues, adding, “The decisions of that meeting must be seriously followed through.”

Ayatollah Khamenei pointed out that the Americans have turned their treasury department into a war room against Iran, adding, “A committee to counter this wickedness by the enemy must be set up in the economic center of the administration and the Foreign Ministry must also help in this issue.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution added, “Resistance Economy is the cure to all of the country’s problems and today, given the measures by the enemy, some parts of Resistance Economy must be given priority.”

Ayatollah Khamenei described “people-run economy” and the engagement of the people in the field of economy as very necessary, adding, “The state-run economy is not efficient and as I have repeatedly said, the policies of Article 44 [of Iran’s Constitution] must be taken seriously and we must bring the private sector into the fray.”    

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution said the philosophy underlying the formation of the National Development Fund of Iran is to help the private sector, noting, “This fund is entirely in the hands of the administration, but the resources of the fund must be made available to private sector activists and must not be allocated to current expenses.”  

Ayatollah Khamenei said oil-based economy is one of the fundamental flaws of Iran’s economy and stressed, “I said 20 years ago that we have to reach a point where we would shut down the oil wells whenever we decided and this is possible.”  

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution added, “Today, we are hostages to oil, because its pricing [as well as] purchase or lack of purchase are in the hands of others. This situation must change and as a national asset, oil must be really in our control and we must reduce dependence on it on a daily basis.”    

Attaching importance to knowledge-based economy, paying attention to young entrepreneurs in the media, promoting domestic production, attaching great importance to Iranian products and total abstinence by all state organs from buying non-Iranian products were among other issues highlighted by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution.

In the final part of this segment of his remarks, the Leader stressed, “We should not tie the issues that are related to economy to the JCPOA and the likes of that, [because] you saw that the problem with economy was not solved through the JCPOA. Therefore, economy requires other factors.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, Ayatollah Khamenei pointed to the hostile policy of the Americans to inculcate a stalemate and inject despair and inability in the [Iranian] society, saying, “At the present time, the Iranian nation takes pride in its independence, steadfastness, international prestige and regional influence; however, the enemy seeks to strip the nation of this sense of honor through rumors, lies and highlighting weaknesses and [also] to destroy the hope-inspiring move, which is the solution to the country’s problems, by portraying  victories and advances as defeat.”  

The Leader said the main goal of the Islamic Republic is making Islam proud and implementing Islamic Sharia law in the society. Summing up this part of his speech, Ayatollah Khamenei said, “By identifying the [existing] potentialities and paying attention to experiences and, most importantly, by seeking the Almighty God’s assistance, we will doubtlessly have the capability to overcome all economic problems.”

The final part of the remarks made by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution was devoted to evaluating the performance of the United Nations and putting emphasis on the need to follow up on some important cases of US human rights crimes.

The Leader described the performance of the United Nations as unacceptable and as being under the sway of the US, saying, “A while ago, the secretary general of the United Nations withdrew his remarks one day after condemning the crimes of the Saudis against Yemeni people. These examples show that the United Nations is under the pressure of the US and wealthy [Arab] states of the Persian Gulf region.”   

Enumerating the crimes and human rights cases of the US, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution pointed to such cases as “the burning to death of members of the Branch Davidians in the US during the term of [former US president Bill] Clinton,” “the imprisonment and heinous torture of inmates in Guantanamo Bay and Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prisons and an American jail in Afghanistan,” “the legality of the sales of firearms in America for the profit of gun manufactures,” “the American police’s brutal treatment of African Americans,” “the effective role of America in the creation and support of Daesh,” “America’s support for the Zionist regime in massacring the people, including in the recent carnage in Gaza” and “[America’s] help and support for the Saudis in slaughtering the Yemeni people and cracking down on the people of Bahrain.” The Leader stressed, “If the United Nations is [really] the United Nations and is not dependent on the American regime, it must seriously follow up on these cases and make up for its past shortcomings.”

At the end of his remarks, Ayatollah Khamenei said the statements made by the Islamic Republic on various issues are sober, well-founded and verifiable statements, adding, “The Islamic Republic has grown stronger by the day in these years and will continue to move toward greater might through promotion of domestic production and the correct treatment of the people by the officials.”    





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