TEHRAN — Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said on Saturday that diplomacy should not be tied to the nuclear dispute with the United States.

The Leader made the remarks in his first meeting with President Raisi and his cabinet team. The meeting took place in National Government Week.

“Diplomacy should not be impacted by the nuclear issue. In the nuclear issue, the U.S. acted extremely shamelessly. They withdrew from the JCPOA but talked as if Iran had withdrawn from it. They ridiculed the negotiations. The Europeans acted like the U.S., too,” the Leader remarked.

“Biden not different from Trump”

Former U.S. President Donald Trump quit the nuclear, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and imposed the harshest sanctions in history against Iran within his “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran. Trump withdrew from the JCPOA despite the fact that the agreement is endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 2231.

"Being revolutionary must certainly be accompanied by rationality.”Through the maximum pressure, the Trump administration was seeking a new nuclear deal in order to impose U.S. dictates on Iran. 
 
Current U.S. President Joe Biden had promised to join the multilateral nuclear pact, however, six rounds of talks, which started in April to revive the agreement, have so far failed to bear a result because the Biden administration is raising new issues.

“The current U.S. government is no different from the previous one. They demand the same things that Trump demanded. Behind the scenes of U.S. foreign policy there lies a predatory wolf that sometimes changes into a cunning fox. Today’s situation in Afghanistan is an example of this,” Ayatollah Khamenei stated.

 We support the nation of Afghanistan

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Leader said the Islamic Republic backs the people of Afghanistan regardless of who is in power.

The remarks by the Leader comes as the Taliban took over Afghanistan on August 16 and President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.

“We support the nation of Afghanistan. Governments come and go. What remains is the Afghan nation. The nature of our relations with governments depends on the nature of their relations with us,” the Leader pointed out.

Ayatollah Khamenei wished peace and prosperity for the Afghan nation, saying, 
“May God bring the best situation for the nation of Afghanistan.”

“people's trust is the biggest asset of the government.”The Leader described Afghanistan as a brotherly country which shares many affinities with the Iranian nation.

“Afghanistan is our brother country, with the same language, religion, and culture,” the Leader noted. 

Ayatollah Khamenei also pointed to the agonies of the Afghan people during the 20 years of the U.S. occupation of the Central Asian country, saying, “The source of Afghanistan’s crises is the U.S. During 20 years of occupation, they committed all sorts of atrocities— bombing weddings and mourning ceremonies, imprisonment, and 10 times more drug production.”

According to international bodies, opium cultivation started to increase greatly since the U.S. invaded Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks in 2001.

Leader says diplomacy should serve economy

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Leader said in the new Raisi administration diplomatic efforts should be intensified to consolidate Iran’s economy with the outside world, especially neighbors.

“Diplomatic dynamism should be intensified and economic aspects of diplomacy fortified in the new government… Foreign trade with neighboring countries and other nations should also be bolstered.”

Ayatollah Khamenei went on to say that it is possible to increase economic and trade ties with most countries around the world.

“Except for a couple of countries, friendly ties are possible with most countries,” the Leader insisted.

“Do not let time be wasted” 

The Leader also called on the Raisi administration to use its time in office to serve the people to the best of its ability and improve their livelihoods.

"I had a recommendation to all the officials in different periods, I also offer you this recommendation; time passes quickly. These four years will end soon, so use every hour, every opportunity. Do not let time be wasted when it belongs to the people and to Islam," he said, according to Press TV.  

The new government, Ayatollah Khamenei said, should focus its efforts on initiating a "revolutionary but rational and thoughtful reconstruction in all managerial fields".
"Being revolutionary must certainly be accompanied by rationality. This has been the correct way of the Islamic Republic from the very beginning until today, requiring that the revolutionary movement should be accompanied by an intellectual and rational movement."

”Economy is main priority”

The Leader said the most important priority of the country is primarily the economy and then culture, media and science.

"Of course, there is an urgent issue, which is the coronavirus and the health of the people," Ayatollah Khamenei added.

One of the essentials, the Leader said, is smart quarantine and serious care at borders in order to prevent the entry of new strains of the disease. 

As for the economy, the main problems of the country are high inflation, budget deficit, people's livelihood issues, devaluation of the national currency, reduction of people's purchasing power, and issues related to business climate and banking system, he stated.
"Economic experts believe that money creation should be done in proportion to production, and if this ratio does not exist, money creation should be stopped, which, if done correctly, will result in preventing inflation, boosting production and employment, and strengthening the national currency."

President Raeisi has said he has chosen a cabinet to improve economy and fight corruption. One of his key slogans in the presidential campaigns was to form a "popular government".

Two days after the formation of his cabinet, Raisi paid an unannounced visit to Khuzestan province.  Raisi’s cabinet held its first session on Thursday. It took place one day after 18 out of his 19 proposed ministers were given vote of confidence by the parliament. 

"One of the manifestations of being popular is going among the people and hearing directly from the people. This very good and commendable move that Mr. Raeisi made yesterday, when he went to Khuzestan among the people, heard from them, talked to them, is a manifestation of being popular, which is a very good thing," Ayatollah Khamenei said.

Another manifestation, the Leader said, is the lifestyle which state officials choose, enjoining the new administration to practice "modesty in manners and character and avoid aristocratic styles and looking down at people from a high position". 

“We are lagging and have to work hard”
    
Ayatollah Khamenei also said the basis of the Islamic government and the Islamic Republic is the establishment of justice, but a lot of work has to be done in this regard. 

"We have a lot of work to do in these areas. We are lagging and have to work hard."  

Ayatollah Khamenei also said the basis of the Islamic government and the Islamic Republic is the establishment of justice, but "we have a lot of work to do in these areas".

"We are lagging behind and have to work hard," the Leader said. 

"In my opinion, every resolution that you pass, every bill that you draft in the government, every directive that you issue in your own system, should have an appendix of justice. You have to be careful that it does not impact justice and does not stamp on the oppressed classes," he added.   

In his Saturday remarks, the Leader said it is very important to restore the people's trust and hope because people's trust is the biggest asset of the government. 

"People will help you and walk the walk with you when they trust you and have hope in you. This is the biggest asset for a government if it can gain the trust of the people, which, of course, is, unfortunately, a bit damaged. You have to repair this, and the solution is for the words and actions of the officials to be the same."