washington: Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Friday Tehran will not negotiate with the United States and denied any US attack was likely, a day after US President Donald Trump urged talks and said he could not rule out a military confrontation.
Trump on Thursday urged Iran’s leadership to sit down and talk with him about giving up Tehran’s nuclear programme and said he could not rule out a military confrontation given the heightened tensions between the two countries.
American B-52 bombers have already arrived to its base in the Middle East, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.
“No talks will be held with the Americans and the Americans will not dare take military action against us,” Yadollah Javani, the Guards’ deputy head for political affairs, was quoted as saying by Tasnim. “Our nation... sees America as unreliable.”
Thousands of Iranians took part in marches on Friday across the country to voice support for the government’s move on Wednesday to scale back curbs to its nuclear programme under a 2015 deal with world powers, and threatened to do more if signatories did not shield it from US sanctions. “America should know, sanctions have no effect!” chanted the demonstrators.
Asked about Trump’s comments, Iran’s Ambassador to the United Nations Majid Takht Ravanchi said Iran had been talking with the six powers, including the United States, within the framework of the nuclear deal. “All of a sudden he decided to leave the negotiating table.... What is the guarantee that he will not renege again?” Takht Ravanchi said in a US television interview.
He also dismissed US allegations of an Iranian threat as “fake intelligence”.
— Reuters
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