Iran Hardliners Blast The US, Israel Ahead Of Nuclear Talks In Vienna

Hardliners in Iran call the new negotiating team sent to Vienna “revolutionary forces”, and pouring scorn on the United States, while also attacking Israel.

The spokesman for Iran’s armed forces said Sunday that Tehran will continue to strive for Israel’s destruction, adding that there is no way to come to terms with the United States.

General Abolfazl Shekarchi said that annihilating Israel is the Islamic Republic's biggest objective, reported the state-owned news agency ISNA on Sunday, November 28. He explained that the Iranian armed forces see Israel as a part of "international Zionism." Shekarchi further claimed that "Even Muslim countries that help Israel are part of the Zionist regime."

Meanwhile, Shekarchi stressed that there is no way Iran could compromise with America, adding that "Regrettably, some people in Iran believe we can come to terms with the United States as the Great Satan while America would never step back from its position of plundering the resources of the oppressed nations."

Speaking one day before the resumption of negotiations to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, he said "How can we come to terms with a country that looks at itself as the master and sees other nations as slaves? Making any compromise with such a country would undermine all our religious and revolutionary ideals."

Shekarchi said, "America's presence in this region is illegitimate. Our presence in the Red Sea or Syria is aimed at restoring security, but America is not in this region to restore security." He claimed, "This region will be insecure as long as the United States is present here. Its presence in this region cannot be tolerated by Iran or other regional nations."

The spokesman added that in his view "America's allies think like America but they have less power." He called US officials "Very Foolish" and at the same time called the UK and France "lesser Satans."

As the Iranian delegation is in Vienna to take part in negotiations with JCPOA partners and hold "indirect talks" with the United States, hardline media in Iran have renewed their attacks on the United States with a new momentum. Shekarchi's statements are part of this media blitz.

Hardline daily Kayhan, funded by Supreme Leader Khamenei's office, even went as far as accusing the United States of being behind recent protests in Esfahan and called the protesting farmers who were attacked by IRGC shotguns on Friday "the United States' foot soldiers." Meanwhile, in a commentary the daily reminded Iranian negotiators that their talks with the West begin on the anniversary of the killing of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh who was assassinated in Tehran a year ago purportedly by Israeli agents.

The IRGC-linked newspaper Javan also carried two stories against the negotiations and the United States on its front page on Sunday. The leading story refers to threats made by Washington of having other options if the Vienna talks fail and argues that "America has new plans and the statements made by US diplomats and other officials indicate that Washington has forgotten about the JCPOA. Their negotiators talk about total prevention of oil sales by Iran and bombing Iran's nuclear establishments."

Javan's commentary on the negotiations also claims that the US delegation's agenda is exerting redoubled pressures on Iran. The commentary points out that the United States is not directly involved in the talks but says Washington is planning to use other Western partners of the JCPOA, i.e., the Europeans, to exert pressure on Iran.