Talks absurd without benefits for Iran: Larijani

TEHRAN, May 03 (MNA) – It would be meaningless to proceed with negotiations that are futile and do not fulfill Iran’s interests, Ali Larijani, an adviser to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, said.

News ID: 2001225

EghtesadOnline: Addressing a cultural event at the Shahed University of Tehran on Saturday, Larijani stressed the need for a realistic prospect for the talks between Iran and the US.

Negotiations per se have neither benefits nor harms, while their function hinges on results, he added.

“Holding or not holding negotiations per se has no value, but the main criterion is the fulfillment of the national interests. If the talks do not result in the fulfillment of the interests, there will be no justification for proceeding with them,” he stated.

“For instance, when the negotiations on the nuclear issue are beneficial, they must be carried out. But if they do not resolve any problem, it won’t be necessary to continue with the talks,” the member of Iran’s Expediency Council added.

Larijani said it is imperative to assess the conditions and timing of the negotiations to analyze the situation and make a rational decision without insisting on accepting or rejecting the talks.

Decrying the sanctions imposed by the US and the West against Iran, he said the Islamic Republic has never caved in to the world powers, which is why the Western governments are attempting to force Iran to change its behavior through sanctions and pressures.

His comments came after the fourth round of indirect negotiations between Iran and the US, previously arranged for May 3, were postponed.

The two countries have held three rounds of talks in Muscat and Rome on April 12, 19 and 26, mediated by Oman, with the purpose of reaching a deal on Iran’s nuclear program and the removal of sanctions on Tehran.