Negotiating with US Irrational: Iran’s EX-Defense Minister

“Negotiations over (Iran’s) defense capabilities are akin to allowing our homeland to become an easy military target for the enemies,” General Vahidi, who is also the president of the Supreme National Defense University of Iran, told Tasnim.

“Obviously, no one in their right mind would accept it (since) no country in the world is willing to negotiate over its defense capabilities and, of course, Iran is no exception to this rule,” he said.

Basically, negotiation with the Americans is always a wrong move, he said, adding that over the past decades since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, it has been proven that whenever greenlight was given for talks with the US, it did not yield any results because Washington reneged on its commitments.

“Therefore, negotiations with the US, especially with the current ruling body of the country, are irrational and impossible,” he went on to say.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday that Washington was prepared for unconditional talks with Iran.

The remarks came against the backdrop of increased tensions between Iran and the US with Washington imposing new sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

The US has ratcheted up pressure on Iran since last year after withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Since then, the administration of US President Donald Trump is trying to reduce Iran’s oil exports to “zero,” and has sent an aircraft carrier strike group, a bomber squad, an amphibious assault ship, and a Patriot missile battery to the Middle East to try to stack up pressure on Tehran.

Iranian officials, however, have dismissed such moves as psychological warfare, saying the country has its own ways of circumventing the American bans and selling crude oil.