ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called for written guarantees that the United States and Europe are ready to rapidly lift crippling sanctions against Tehran before it implements a landmark nuclear deal signed in July.
“The negotiations were originally aimed at lifting the cruel economic and financial sanctions,” Khamenei wrote in a letter to President Hassan Rouhani.
“We need strong guarantees from the other sides, including written promises from the United States,” Khamenei said.
Tehran signed a landmark nuclear deal in July with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany, requiring that Iran does not gear its nuclear program toward military purposes, in return for the lifting of Western sanctions.
However, Iranian officials have been angered at efforts by US lawmakers to thwart the deal. The latest snag has been the issue of an upcoming report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and whether the results of that report will affect the lifting of sanctions.
US officials have said the findings of the report will not affect the lifting of sanctions.
In his letter to Rouhani, Khamenei instructed that the presidents of the United States and European Union “should state in their declarations that the sanctions are lifted altogether.”
Khamanei reminded Rouhani that the “US has nothing but enmity towards Iran, whether on the nuclear issue or any other issues.”
The letter also instructed that the nuclear deal should be nullified if any of the signatories “imposed sanctions on Iran within eight years, using repetitive accusations such as terrorism and human rights.”
“The negotiations were originally aimed at lifting the cruel economic and financial sanctions,” Khamenei wrote in a letter to President Hassan Rouhani.
“We need strong guarantees from the other sides, including written promises from the United States,” Khamenei said.
Tehran signed a landmark nuclear deal in July with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany, requiring that Iran does not gear its nuclear program toward military purposes, in return for the lifting of Western sanctions.
However, Iranian officials have been angered at efforts by US lawmakers to thwart the deal. The latest snag has been the issue of an upcoming report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and whether the results of that report will affect the lifting of sanctions.
US officials have said the findings of the report will not affect the lifting of sanctions.
In his letter to Rouhani, Khamenei instructed that the presidents of the United States and European Union “should state in their declarations that the sanctions are lifted altogether.”
Khamanei reminded Rouhani that the “US has nothing but enmity towards Iran, whether on the nuclear issue or any other issues.”
The letter also instructed that the nuclear deal should be nullified if any of the signatories “imposed sanctions on Iran within eight years, using repetitive accusations such as terrorism and human rights.”
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