Iran’s President, Mohammad Khatami ruled out talks with Washington or any easing of ties, accusing Washington of adopting a "bellicose" stand toward Tehran, Iranian television reported. "When a power ... uses a bellicose and threatening tone toward us, the possibility of talks cannot be considered, nor even the slightest easing in relations," Khatami said in a meeting with MPs.
"We want peace," he said, adding however that softening Iran's stand "would mean not taking into account the interests of the regime." "All those who speak of discussions with the United States must submit to the policies of the regime and not do anything that goes against the national interest and honour," he added.
Iranian parliamentary sources told AFP on Wednesday that US Secretary of State Colin Powell asked Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on April 15 to help facilitate a US-Iranian political dialogue despite their differences. Assad passed the message on to Khatami, who rejected it, the sources said.
Foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi would not comment on the report, but said it was "nothing new". "In view of America's behavior, all negotiation between the two governments is out of the question," he said. (Albawaba.com)
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