Ayatollah Khamenei Sets Condition for Iran’s Cooperation with US

A group of school and university students met with Ayatollah Khamenei in Tehran on Monday on the occasion of the National Day of Fighting against Global Arrogance.

In remarks at the meeting, Ayatollah Khamenei explained that the hostility of the US toward the Iranian nation began with the 1953 coup and has continued ever since.

The Leader said the conflict between the Islamic Republic and the US is fundamental and arises from a clash of interests between the two sides.

He noted that only if the US completely ends its support for the Zionist regime, withdraws all its military bases from the region, and refrains from interfering in regional affairs, could any American request for cooperation with Iran be considered, not in the near future but in later times.

The Leader emphasized that the solution to many problems and the way to protect the country lies in becoming strong —through managerial, scientific, and military capability, as well as motivation— and that the government must perform its duties in these areas with strength.

Ayatollah Khamenei further explained the history of US hostility toward the Iranian nation and the dimensions of the historic takeover of the US embassy in 1979. He said that the embassy takeover by young Iranians can be examined from both historical and identity perspectives.

The Leader described as a distortion of history the claims of those who say that chanting “Death to America” caused US hostility toward Iran.

Ayatollah Khamenei said this slogan is not the reason for America’s enmity toward the Iranian nation, as the real issue between the US and the Islamic Republic is their inherent incompatibility and conflict of interests.

Addressing questions regarding whether Iran would ever engage in relations with the US, he stated, “The inherently arrogant nature of the US accepts nothing but submission. Every US president desired this, though some did not state it openly; the current president has expressed it explicitly, revealing the US’s true nature.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution stated that expecting the Iranian nation to submit, given its level of capabilities, wealth, intellectual and spiritual background, and its vigilant and motivated youth, is meaningless. He added," We cannot predict the distant future, but at present, all must know that the solution to many problems lies in becoming stronger."/tasnim