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In an address in Tehran on March 21, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei responded to the crowds' chants of "Death to America" by saying: "Death to America, of course, because America is the principal element behind this pressure [i.e., the economic sanctions]." Khamenei said that Obama had said "some dishonest things" in his Nowruz address and that the American goal was "to turn the [Iranian] people against the system."
Following are excerpts from the address, which was broadcast on the Iranian news channel IRINN.
Ali Khamenei: Our enemies explicitly say that the goal of their economic pressure is political. Their goal is to turn the Iranian people against the Islamic regime.
Crowds: Death to America!
Death to America!
Death to America!
Death to America!
Ali Khamenei: Death to America, of course, because America is the principal element behind this pressure. They are the ones who relentlessly focus on the economy of our beloved nation. Their goal is to turn the people against the system. They themselves say that they want to exert economic pressure, in order to exacerbate the situation of the people, so that they will be forced to protest against the government and the Islamic regime.
They say this loud and clear. Obviously, they are lying when they say that they support the Iranian nation. Nobody should believe these lies of the enemy.
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As for the nuclear issue, our enemies, the rivals of the Iranian nation, led by America, are adhering to a specific plan and policy. We can see this clearly. They know what they are doing. They need these negotiations. America desperately needs these nuclear negotiations.
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In his message [to the Iranian people] on the Nowruz holiday, the U.S. president said some dishonest things, I'm sad to say.
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He said that there are people in Iran who refuse to accept a diplomatic solution to the nuclear issue. This is a lie. No Iranian opposes a resolution to the nuclear issue through negotiations. The Iranian nation will not accept the coercive dictates of the U.S. This is unacceptable.
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The negotiations with the U.S. are about the nuclear issue and nothing else. Everyone must know this. We are not negotiating with the U.S. about any regional issues. The goals of the U.S. regarding regional issues run counter to ours.
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The Americans keep saying that first they will sign an agreement with Iran, and that only after confirming that Iran is abiding by the agreement will they lift the sanctions. These fallacies are unacceptable.
Lifting the sanctions is part of the negotiations, not a consequence of them. The people who are involved in this understand the difference full well. This is an American deception. They say: First, we will sign an agreement, then we will examine their conduct, and only then, we will lift the sanctions. It doesn't work this way.
Just as our honorable president and officials said clearly, the sanctions must be lifted without delay when an agreement is reached.
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