Sayyed Khamenei: No US Talks until Sanctions Lifted

19/08/2010 Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that the Islamic Republic would not conduct talks with the United States about its nuclear program unless sanctions and military threats are lifted.

"What they say, our president and others are saying, that we will negotiate - yes we will - but not with America, because America is not negotiating honestly and like a normal negotiator," Sayyed Khamenei said in a televised speech to senior officials, including President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

"Put away the threats and put away the sanctions," he added.

"The reason is that America does not enter the field honestly as a normal negotiator. They should drop the face of a superpower, they should drop threats, they should drop sanctions and they should not set a goal for negotiations. Then we are ready," he added.

Western and European nations have approached a dual-track policy of imposing sanctions and calling for talks with Iran. They suspect the program masks a weapons drive, a charge strongly denied by Iran.

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian