IRI will keep solid towards America
16/05/2007 Islamic Revolution Leader Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei Tuesday underlined the role of Alims (Islamic leaders) in society, adding that during the last two centuries, the Rohaniyat (community of Iranian religious leaders) has been keeping the leading role in the national combat against colonialism.
Ayatollah Khamenei made the remarks in a speech to an audience of prominent Alims and Islamic jurisprudence students Tuesday in the northeast Iranian pilgrimage city of Mashhad.
The IR Leader reminded the audience of a barrage of enmities against the values which Imam Khomeini, the departed and the Islamic Revolution had estblished in the course of the past 27 years.
"In spite of all these ill-wills, presently the values of revolution and Imam the departed stands as the last word and popular stance in society and the Administration openly takes pride in them," Ayatollah Khamenei said.
In the same regard, Ayatollah Khamenei pointed to a sense of joy on the part of some domestic parties after IRI agreed talks with America, blaming their joy on their supposition that the country had distance itself from the said values.
"Those who suppose the Islamic Republic of Iran may change its solid, logical and thoroughly defensible policy of not having talks or ties with America are gravely mistaken," Ayatollah Khamenei affirmed.
"How could one talk with an arrogant, bullying, expansionist and colonizing American government especially in tenure of its current rude, disrespectful and insolent authorities?" the Leader of Islamic Revolution said.
Concerning prospective talks between representatives of Iran and America about Iraq, Ayatollah Khamenei declared, "since America, as occupying government, has flouted its obligations to restore security in Iraq and even has folded the hand of Iraqi government, tries to make it topple and supports terrorists, the (Iranian) Foreign Ministry at the call of the Iraqi government approved to remind the Americans of their duties regarding Iraqi security in a face-to-face talk and so have it take its final chance."
"This talk is in fact a talk scheduled to be held early last year where Americans dragged feet. However, this time they have submitted a written request for the talk," Ayatollah Khamenei added.
"They (Americans) say they will not talk about any other issues except Iraq. And we tell them even the Iraqi issue does not concern you and the talks are only over the duty of the occupiers about the security of Iraq," the IR Leader underlined.
Ayatollah Khamenei confirmed that the I. R. of Iran's policy of no-talk, no-ties would remain the same as long as the arrogant government refuses to change its policies.
The IR Leader also made some remarks about the obligations and position of Islamic Alims where the honorable hailed the undertaking as a follow-up to the position of the Divine Messengers and thereby bearing a great honor for the Rohaniyat.
"Their responsibility is indeed parallel to that of the messengers," Ayatollah Khamenei said, urging the Islamic Alims to undertake those obligations namely to establish justice in society whatever difficulties they face.
Ayatollah Khamenei underlined that at present the most important duty of Rohaniyat and jurisprudence schools is to identify needs of time, equip themselves with modern scientific means and strong reasoning, preserve independence, keep a close contact with masses, improve their political understanding, keep alert to menaces and combat against deviation and superstition.
The Supreme Leader of Iran, Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has approved talks with the United States to deal with the security situation in Iraq but has said the discussions won't involve other outstanding issues between the two countries such as Iran's nuclear program.

Khamenei, as the supreme leader of Iran, has the final say in all state issues under Iran's Rule of the Islamic Jurisprudence.  Moreover, he is the highest-ranking Islamic cleric in Iran and also has a considerable following in Iraq, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, and other parts of the Islamic world.

Khamenei make his remarks in a speech in Mashhad where he said, "Iran's policy of not negotiating and having relations with America remains the same until the policies of this arrogant government change."

The United States and Iran have broken diplomatic relations since the Iran hostage crisis in 1980.  Tehran has in the past called the United States the "Great Satan" and the enemy of Islam.  Khamenei believes that rejecting a thorough discussion of all the disagreements between the United States and Iran is a "firm, logical and defendable policy."  The Leader of Islamic Revolution said,

These most recent remarks by Khamenei come after the brief exchange of greetings by Condoleezza Rice and Manouchehr Mottaki at the Sharm el-Sheikh conference in Egypt without a substantive discussion of the security situation of Iraq.

In 2005, Khamenei declared that the United States was responsible for terrorism in Iraq and said, "The presence of aliens in Iraq is harmful and destructive to the Iraqi people."  He also exhorted the American forces to withdraw.