Ooops!!!! Maybe not chrissy.....
Iran's Supreme Leader Rejects All U.S. Talks
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected any direct talks with the United States on Tuesday and threatened to sack officials who speak in favor of U.S. ties.
``This is not a prejudiced opinion. It is an educated assessment based on thorough studies and experiences of other countries,'' Khamenei said in a public speech in the central city of Isfahan.
``We have reached the conclusion that not just relations, but any negotiation, with America is against the nation's interests,'' he said in remarks broadcast on state television.
Some Iranian reformers have demanded that Iran seize the chance arising from the September 11 suicide attacks in the United States and move to end 23 years of estrangement.
They say Iran should think first of its long-term strategic interests, rather than ideological concerns.
Khamenei sought to quash any such opinions made in public.
``If anyone in the government or parliament takes a stance against the ideals of the Islamic system, he is not fit to continue his duties from a religious point of view,'' he said.
IRAN HAS NO TRUST IN AMERICA
Washington and Tehran broke diplomatic ties after the 1979 Islamic revolution and communicate with each other indirectly.
The United States has called for official dialogue to address its concerns over Iran's arms build-up, support for militant anti-Israeli groups and opposition to the Middle East peace process.
Khamenei said Iran had nothing to gain and everything to lose from official contact with the United States.
``The Americans want to involve Iran in the Afghan conflict and make it a partner in the massacre of innocent people. They also want to show to the world that the Islamic republic has backtracked on its revolutionary ideals,'' he said.
``Those who speak of ties have no ill will; they are just misinformed. They don't understand that negotiations will make the Americans ever more demanding.''
Apparently on a cue from Khamenei, Iran's hardline judiciary chief Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi vowed on Monday to take legal action against advocates of U.S. ties.
The warnings came after a member of a special parliamentary committee on the Afghan crisis said they had reached a conclusion on the need for direct contact with Washington.
Gholamheidar Ebrahimbai-Salami said Tehran and Washington could cooperate to set up a new government in Afghanistan (news - web sites).
But several other members of the committee later rushed to distance themselves.
Khamenei has condemned the September 11 attacks, but refused to allow Iran to help the U.S.-led attacks on Afghanistan, calling for a U.N.-led coalition to fight terrorism.
``We have said all along we are both against the terrorists and against taking part in a U.S.-led coalition,'' he said.
After a brief display of sympathy in the aftermath of the suicide attacks, Iranian hard-liners have resumed their initial tough line toward the United States, incensed by the rise in civilian casualties from relentless U.S.-led strikes.
Such views have been reflected in the Supreme National Security Council, the highest decision-making body in Iran, where conservatives appear to have the upper hand.
Iran's Defense Minister Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani has said Iran should not abandon its revolutionary legacy for better ties with the West.
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