Cleric calls on West to put all options 'under the table' as Iran marks Islamic Revolution
Rouhani says Iran looking for "win-win agreement" in nuclear talks, but adds that Iranian nation is not afraid of pressure or sanctions.
By JPOST.COM STAFFIran marks the 36th anniversary of the Islamic revolution
Millions of Iranians took to the streets on Wednesday to mark the 36th anniversary of 1979's Islamic Revolution, Iranian state media reported.Iranian leaders and clerics took the opportunity to address ongoing nuclear talks with the West, while demonstrators were reported to throng Tehran's Azadi Square with shouts of "Down with the US" and "Down with Israel."Secretary of the Guardians Council Ayatollah Ahmad Janati played on the classic US and Israeli comment that "all options are on the table," in reference to a potential military attack against Iran, sarcastically calling on US officials to put all options "under the table."He criticized the US for trying to prolong talks and said that the numbers of Iranians out on the street for the anniversary rally proved their unity and solidarity.Iranian President Hassan Rouhani also addressed crowds in Tehran to mark the Revolution.Rouhani struck a defiant note, saying that "the Iranian nation is not afraid of pressure and sanctions.""We seek a win-win agreement, according to which Iran would [guarantee] the transparency of its peaceful nuclear activities within the framework of international law and [in return] the opposite side should put an end to inhumane and illegal sanctions [against Iran]. This will benefit both sides,” Press TV quoted Rouhani as saying.US President Barack Obama said on Monday extending the March deadline for a nuclear deal with Iran would not be useful if Iran does not agree to a basic framework that assures world powers it is not pursuing nuclear arms."At this juncture I don't see a further extension being useful if they have not agreed to the basic formulation and the bottom-line that the world requires to have confidence that they're not pursuing a nuclear weapon," he said at the White House after meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.Obama said if the framework for a deal were agreed and "people have a clear sense of what is required, and there's some drafting" required, that would be a different issue.
"We now know enough that the issues are no longer technical," he said. "The issues now are: does Iran have the political will and the desire to get a deal done?"Negotiators have set a June 30 final deadline for an accord, and Western officials have said they aim to agree on the substance of that deal by March."We're at a point where they need to make a decision," Obama said of Iran."There should be the possibility of getting a deal. They should be able to get to 'yes.' But we don't know if that's going to happen. They have their hard-liners, they have their politics."