Political analyst: US needs change of offers to Iran

Seyed Mohammad Marandi, a political analyst and an academic at Tehran University, said progress in the talks between Iran and the world powers needs a change in the US approach and proposals to Iran. "The American side should change the proposals it presented in Almaty since those proposals are not sufficient at all," Marandi told FNA on Monday. He underlined that if Americans are serious in their new talks with Iran, they will certainly change their proposals, and if not, Tehran will continue developing its legal and legitimate nuclear program similar to the past. Marandi stressed Tehran's steadfast position in defending its nuclear rights, and said Iran will accept nothing less than its rights and the US should cope with this reality. He also referred to the Tuesday remarks by Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution who supported "heroic flexibility" in foreign policy affairs, and said, "Flexibility doesn’t mean withdrawal from the country's principles and the nation's rights but means settlement of the issue with a new method and tone." Ayatollah Khamenei said on Tuesday that he has long held the belief in “heroic flexibility” in domestic and foreign policy, but he also cautioned that the tactic which is very necessary on some occasions should only be practiced after one gathers deep insight about the nature of his/her rivals and their goals. The Supreme Leader underlined his support for correct and logical moves on the scenes of foreign and domestic policy. “I agree with the issue that I called some years ago as heroic flexibility since this move is highly good and necessary on certain occasions, but with commitment to one main condition,” Ayatollah Khamenei said, addressing high-ranking commanders and veterans of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in Tehran. He described apprehending the opposite side's nature and gathering a correct understanding of his goal-setting as the main condition for using the heroic flexibility tactic, and said, "A technical wrestler also shows flexibility for technical reasons sometimes, but he would never forget who his rival is and what his main goal is." Ayatollah Khamenei underlined the necessity of complete loyalty to Islam and revolution values, saying whoever is more loyal to the main message of the Islamic Revolution and can analyze the enemies' plots and behavior within the framework of the hegemonic system's challenge with the Islamic Revolution will be further exposed to the arrogant powers' fury and wrath. Iran and the world powers, including the US, have held several rounds of talks on a range of issues, with the main focus being on Iran’s nuclear energy program. The two sides wrapped up their latest round of negotiations on April 6 in the Kazakh city of Almaty. An earlier meeting had been held in the city on February 26-27. The US, Israel and some of their allies claim that Iran is pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program, with Washington and the European Union using the unfounded allegation as a pretext to impose sanctions on Iran. Tehran strongly rejects the groundless claim over its nuclear activities, maintaining that as a committed signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it is entitled to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.