Obama’s assessment that Iran is negotiating over its nuclear program due to international pressure is inaccurate, Iranian officials claim.

The P5+1 powers and Iran are locked in negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program. While the US is portraying the talks as productive, Iran has a different version of the events and continues to skewer the US.

The Iranian foreign ministry “lambasted” US President Barack Obama for his recent statement that Iran has participated in the negotiations regarding its nuclear aspirations due to pressures and sanctions by Western countries, the Iranian Fars News agency reported.

Iran entered the nuclear talks with a constructive intention to put an end to the “fabricated” crisis, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham said on Tuesday, denying US claims that Western pressure and sanctions forced Iran to sit down at the negotiation table.

The Iranians believe that Obama’s assessment of the situation is inaccurate. “Iran entered the nuclear talks given the peaceful nature of its nuclear activities and with an approach which is based on having constructive interaction,” Afkham claimed.

“Winning the US public opinion as well as fighting political rivals inside the US seem to be the true reason behind the reappearance of this wrong analysis that Iran’s presence in the nuclear talks has been the product of the oppressive and illegal sanctions,” she added.

Afkham stressed that it is “crystal clear that pressuring Iran has failed to produce effects and has instead resulted in our country’s remarkable progress in all fields, including its peaceful nuclear program, and we believe this has brought the US to the table of the nuclear negotiations.”

The spokeswoman also recommended that Obama “avoid making such baseless and unrealistic comments and review the huge presence of the Iranian people on all national occasions and elections in the post-Revolution era”.

US Claims a ‘Joke’

Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh echoed Afkham, dismissing as a “joke” the US’ claims that Tehran’s hands are tied in nuclear negotiations, Fars News reported.

“The US officials’ remarks on this issue are a joke and bragging,” Namdar Zanganeh told reporters on the sidelines of a rally marking the 36th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Tehran on Wednesday.

American Behavior ‘Irrational’

On Sunday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei complained that the behavior of the Americans and their European allies in the negotiations is illogical, since they expect all their “excessive demands” to be met. “[B]ut this is not the way of negotiation,” he concluded.

“The Islamic ruling system acts on a logical basis in the nuclear talks, but the other side has no logic and is pursuing irrationality by relying on bullying,” he said.

By: United with Israel Staff

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