‘Nuclear deal not to help US influence in Iran’

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad-Javad Zarif will travel to Russia on Monday to meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov to discuss peace efforts in Syria.

“We will neither allow U.S. economic and political influence nor cultural, and with our utmost power… we will counter their influence”, he said. However, he has repeatedly offered words of support for Iran’s nuclear negotiators.

Most analysts see the chance of Khamenei rejecting the deal as small so long as it passes through the U.S. Congress, where opposition Republicans aim to block it. But Khamenei has always dismissed the notion that the agreement could reconcile the Islamic Republic with the United States, its arch-adversary since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Taking to Twitter, the supreme leader elaborated on the US attempts to “infiltrate” the Islamic Republic.

“The Americans want to gain influence in the region and reach their goals”. “We will not allow this”.

Hossein Shariatmadari, editor of the daily newspaper Kayhan and a representative of Khamenei, made the comments in an editorial today.

The remarks by Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters in Iran, suggests he supports politicians’ role in approving the deal.

On Saturday, a prominent Iranian hard-liner said Khamenei is opposed to a landmark nuclear deal. But he also holds a deep mistrust of the United States, which he still refers to as the “Great Satan”.

The editorial noted: “Using the phrase “whether this text is approved or disapproved” shows his lack of trust in the text of the deal”.

An editorial appearing Sunday in the Tasnim news agency, thought closely tied to the Iranian regime, derided Shariatmadari for claiming to speak for Khamenei.

The 76-year-old cleric, Iran’s highest authority, has refrained from making decisive statements on the July 14 nuclear agreement, but gave President Hassan Rouhani crucial political cover to pursue talks with the six powers.