Larijani: U.S. Demands Have No End

WANA (Nov 02) – Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said that the United States and its allies are “opportunistic” and that their demands from Iran “have no end.” He emphasized the need for a “national resistance” against such pressures, asserting that Iran and its people must “stand firm on their position.”

Speaking at a gathering, Larijani said the enemy’s clear goal is “to break Iran, its nation, and its will.” He added: “They now say Iran should not have uranium enrichment — the same people who once approved of it now oppose it. Their demands have no limits; after enrichment, they’ll ask us to reduce our missile range and act in the region according to their wishes. I believe a national resistance must form against these endless demands.”

Larijani clarified that Iran is not opposed to negotiations but stressed that talks must be “real and balanced.”

“The Leader has always said that we should master the art of negotiation, but it must be genuine — not something where the outcome is dictated in advance,” he said.

Referring to recent remarks by the U.S. envoy to Lebanon, Larijani criticized what he called Washington’s “coercive diplomacy”: “Mr. Barak, who speaks very frankly, said at the beginning of his mission that Lebanon has only 60 days to disarm. Later, when he realized that was impossible, he became angry, insulted a few people, and recently said: ‘Either listen to us or face the consequences,’ meaning they are telling Israel to strike.”

The security chief warned against “naïveté” in dealing with Western powers: “No one says we shouldn’t negotiate, but it must be done in the right context. It’s not that the Islamic Republic refuses talks — we were negotiating when they started wars. Their goal now isn’t negotiation; it’s imposing a predetermined outcome. They must come to their senses. We must build a form of national resistance — and that resistance must also have a strong economic dimension.”

A burned US flag next to an Iranian flag is seen during a rally marking the annual Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day, on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan in Tehran, Iran April 14, 2023. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)