U.S. Secretary of State snubs unacceptable: Iranian FM

TEHRAN, Oct. 30 (MNA) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said that the time has not come for Tehran to reestablish ties with Washington since the remarks that U.S. officials make are inconsistent. Salehi made the remarks during a joint press conference with Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) President Massoud Barzani in Tehran on Saturday in reply to a question about the remarks that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made on October 26, in which she said that the door remained open for talks with Tehran on its nuclear program. “We have heard lots of similar statements, but unfortunately the remarks that the Americans’ make are very inconsistent,” Salehi said. “As long as those remarks are not sincere, our negotiations with them will make no sense,” he stated. “During the years after the Islamic Revolution, we proved that we are an independent country and have suffered heavy losses to safeguard (our) causes,” Salehi said, adding, “That is why the Islamic Republic of Iran has become a powerful and respected country in the international arena.” “We are seeking to have relations with all countries in the world except the Zionist regime, which we do not regard as legitimate,” he stated. “(But) the establishment of relations makes sense only when both sides enter negotiations on an equal footing and without preconditions,” he added. Salehi also said, “It seems that the time has not yet come for the reestablishment of relations with the United States” since U.S. officials are still using the logic of power. “We hope that the day will come when wisdom and logic will prevail in U.S. foreign policy. If they take measures based on logic and wisdom, many issues in the world will be resolved,” he stated.