Leader's aide: US toning down on Iran

Senior Military Aide to the Iranian Supreme Leader Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi expressed pleasure in Washington's softening tone on Tehran, saying that it is the result of Iran's power and resistance. "It seems that the Americans have understood this fact that Iran is a powerful and stable country in the region which uses logical and wise methods in confrontation with its enemies," Rahim Safavi told FNA on Wednesday. He referred to US President Barack Obama's remarks about Iran, addressing the UN General Assembly meeting in New York on Tuesday, and said, "Mr. Obama as the US president announced for the first time that 'we are not seeking regime change in Iran and respect the Iranian nation's right to access peaceful nuclear energy' and this stabilized Iran's right." "The Americans have sensibly chosen a type of flexibility and withdrawal vis a vis Iran," Rahim Safavi said, adding that they have reached this conclusion that they can't challenge the powerful Iran." He, meantime, underlined that Tehran will maintain its stance vis a vis the US, and added that Iranians cannot forget the US animosities throughout the last decades, including its support for the 2009 street unrests. Rahim Safavi also criticized Obama for speaking about the possibility of Iran's further isolation by continuing the same path and calling on Tehran to choose other ways in dealing with the regional and international issues. He pointed to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's comments, addressing the UN General Assembly meeting on Tuesday, and said he used wise words and elaborated on Iran's stances in opposition to the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs), including the nuclear weapons, Iran's right of uranium enrichment on its territory and Tehran's efforts to establish justice-based peace in the region and the world. The former Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) commander, meantime, voiced skepticism about the US serious will to settle problems with Iran, and said, "If they remove the sanctions step by step and a mutual confidence is created, then we can be hopeful." He called on Americans to desist from their continued obstinacy against Iran and don’t follow the Zionist' lobby. Rahim Safavi advised the US and its European allies to remove sanctions against Iran and establish economic, political and cultural ties with Iran to play in a win-win game. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani stressed during his address to the 68th Session of the UN General Assembly that Iran is ready for talks with the US, but “on equal footing and with mutual respect”, yet he said he is not hearing a single voice from Washington. The Iranian president said he had listened to Obama’s words very well. “I followed carefully to the statement made by President Obama today at the General Assembly. .. [I'm] hoping that they will refrain from following the short-sighted interests of warmongering pressure groups we can arrive at a framework to managing our differences,” President Rouhani said. He said talks can happen, but equal footing and mutual respect should govern the talks. “Of course, we expect to hear a consistent voice from Washington," he said. “The dominant voice in recent years has been for a military option.”