In a speech to the military, Ayatollah Khamenei took a firm stance against new negotiations with the U.S. Subtitled video at the link below, with brief comments from me.
The Speech
The subtitled clip is below. It was delivered today, Friday, 7 February 2025, before a gathering of Iran’s combined armed forces. The absence of “Reformists” in the audience is notable.
Comments
Khamenei’s comments are not surprising. Everything he said is 100% accurate. Iran negotiated in good faith, made concessions, but received zero financial, diplomatic, or political benefits. Not one sanction was lifted. While he referenced Trump’s perfidy (see image above), what is notable about Khamenei’s comments is his reference to the presidency of Barack Obama, and his refusal to honor the JCPOA. My quote about Obama’s perfidy, published elsewhere, is reproduced below:
The so-called ‘hardliners’ in Iran are actually the realists. They see the threats facing the country clearly. Realists warned against the JCPOA, and events proved them right. Even while it was in effect, the occupation state and its allies undermined the deal – former US president Barack Obama discouraged investment, and US lawmakers pressured banks not to engage with Iran.
Stuart Levey, a Zionist and former undersecretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence (TFI) under former US president George Bush and Obama, and later the chief legal officer of a British bank, said, “HSBC has no intention of doing any new business involving Iran.” Tehran reaped negligible benefits from JCPOA compliance before Trump tore up the agreement.
—The Cradle, 5 Dec 2024—
By detailing a history of American perfidy that covers Democrat and Republican administrations, from Obama (two terms, 2009—2017) to Trump I (2017—2021), Khamenei shows that the U.S. is at best an unreliable partner, at worst, a treacherous deal-maker.
What happens next? I shall write more later.
Perspectives 
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