LATEST: Rouhani — 5+1 Powers Cannot Make Us Give Up Nuclear Rights

A top Iranian official has indicated that the Supreme Leader responded to President Obama’s letter last month about nuclear talks and the campaign against the Islamic State.

Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said on Wednesday, “The letters of the American president have a history of some years, and in some instances, there have been responses to these letters.”

The Supreme Leader also responded to a letter written by Obama in early 2009 pursuing “engagement” with Iran. A second letter from Obama did not receive a reply because of the turmoil over the mass protests after Iran’s disputed Presidential election in June 2009.

Obama sent a third letter in 2012 cautioning Iran not to make any move to close off the Straits of Hormuz to shipping.

The President’s letter from October has not been released, but US officials indicated that it was over the talks between Iran and the 5+1 Powers seeking a comprehensive nuclear agreement by November 24. Obama also wrote about the US-led campaign in Iraq and Syria to counter the Islamic State’s offensive.

See Iran Feature: Why are Officials Revealing that Obama Wrote Supreme Leader About Islamic State?

Israeli officials, claiming to have received the letter from an unidentified source, asserted that Obama had reassured the Supreme Leader over Syria. The President supposedly said that the US aerial intervention against the Islamic State did not point to any American effort to unsettle the Assad regime.

See Iran Feature: Israel — “Obama’s Letter to Khamenei Said Syria’s Assad Will Not Be Toppled”

Shamkhani did not refer to specific details in Obama’s letter, that there are “contradictions” between the content and US public positions.

The Iranian official took a firm stance on the issues, saying that Iran would not give up its nuclear rights in the negotiations with the 5+1 Powers. He claimed that Israel’s influence is the “primary reason” for the lack of progress in the talks, with the US “absolute commitment to satisfy” the Israelis.

Regarding Syria, Shamkhani said that the first step is “create calm, prevent the entrance of foreign terrorists into Syria, and cut the financial and military support of terrorists”. The bolstered security would lead to talks with all Syrian factions

Rouhani: 5+1 Powers Cannot Make Us Give Up Nuclear Rights

According to Fars News, the outlet of the Revolutionary Guards, President Rouhani took a tougher public line on Wednesday on Iran’s nuclear talks with the 5+1 Powers, telling the press after a Cabinet meeting:

If the 5+1 seeks an excuse to prevent Iran’s development, it is not possible for them to do so as our nation will not give up its rights and the path of development. We are entitled to use peaceful nuclear technology within the framework of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s treaties and safeguard inspections.

Rouhani’s statement came after two days of discussions in Oman between Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, US Secretary of State John Kerry, and the European Union’s foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.

The President alluded to “internal problems” which could affect the 5+1 (US, Britain, France, Germany, China, and Russia) and cautioned them not to bring these to the negotiating table: “This is neither legal nor rational, and all the G5+1 members should pay attention to the long-term interests of their countries and the region.”

Iran and the 5+1 convene in Vienna on November 18, six days before the expiry of interim arrangements over Tehran’s nuclear program.

Other Iranian outlets, including the Tehran Times, do not quote Rouhani’s tough line. Instead, they summarize has words as “the agreement will not only serve the interests of Iran and all other countries, it will also contribute to the development of science and the global economy as well”.

Meanwhile, Rouhani used a speech in Azerbaijan to insist — contrary to his statements in private — that Iran is successfully withstanding the economic squeeze of US-led measures:

We have learned many lessons from sanctions pressure; the first is that if a nation is resolved enough, it would neutralize the harmful effect of sanctions and forward their own economic programs stronger than ever.

The national will is beyond the old subterfuges and devices in the disposal of superpowers of today and the past; a nation would even fight to find success in the face of restrictions.

The declaration is in contrast to the President’s warning to the Supreme Leader of dire economic consequences if there is no nuclear agreement. Rouhani has also publicly told MPs that Iran faces a 30% drop in its oil revenues because of falling global prices.

Intelligence Minister: We Foiled “Bomb Plot” This Month

Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi said on Wednesday that security forces have thwarted a planned bomb attack on Shia religious ceremonies during the holy month of Muharram.

Alavi said the attackers hope to strike the holy city of Qom, south of Tehran, but “were arrested before they could carry out any such measure”.

The Intelligence Minister and Iran’s Prosecutor General have put out several recent statements claiming vigilance in defeating imminent threats.

Alavi also said on Wendnesday that the security services also prevented several bombing attacks with explosive vests across Iran on International Quds Day on July 25.