USA is Iran's new best friend as Israel as usual are left in the lurch

Ayatollah calls for better ties with Washington, but crowd chants of ‘Death to America’; Chinese president urges Iranian counterpart to sign deal

Iran wants to have “friendly” ties with the United States, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a public address Wednesday, as representatives of Tehran and world powers arrived in Geneva for a new round of nuclear talks.

Speaking to some 50,000 members of the Basij paramilitary volunteer militia, Khamenei also lambasted Israel, which he said was ripe for collapse.

“The (Israeli) Zionist regime is a regime whose pillars are extremely shaky and is doomed to collapse,” he said, according to French news agency AFP. “Any phenomenon that is created by force cannot endure.”

The ayatollah, however, struck a decidedly friendlier tone toward the US.

“We want to have friendly relations with all nations, even the United States,” he told the Basij militiamen. “We are not hostile to the American nation. They are like other nations in the world,” he said, according to a Reuters account.

The Basij audience responded by chanting ”Death to America.”

Khamenei spoke as high-stake talks over Iran’s nuclear program in Geneva were set to kick off.

He said he was giving negotiators convening in Geneva Wednesday a free hand to manage nuclear talks, but had set red lines for them.

“We do insist that we will not step back one iota from our rights,” Khamenei said. ”We do not intervene in the details of these talks. There are certain red lines and limits. These have to be observed. They are instructed to abide by those limits.”

“I insist that the rights of the Iranian people, including nuclear rights, should be considered,” he added.

He admonished France for not supporting a deal at the last meeting, saying it was “not only succumbing to the United States, but kneeling before the Israeli regime.”

Iran and six world powers are scheduled to begin a third installment of negotiations Wednesday with the goal of resurrecting an interim deal that fell apart at the eleventh hour of the last round of talks.

President Barack Obama expressed some doubt Tuesday as to whether Iran and the world powers could keep up the momentum from the last round of talks and strike a deal.

“I don’t know if we’ll be able to close a deal this week or next week; we have been very firm with the Iranians even on the interim deal about what we expect,” he told a conference in Washington, hours after meeting with top senators.”

Obama is at odds with US lawmakers and Israel over signing a preliminary deal with Iran that would freeze its program while easing some of the sanctions the US and other countries have placed on Iran. At the center of the dispute is Iran’s uranium enrichment program, which opponents demand Iran dismantle before it gets any relief from sanctions. Iran insists that its nuclear program is purely for peaceful purposes.

On Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged Iran to seal a deal with Western powers at the upcoming negotiations.

“China hopes Iran seizes the opportunity, maintains the dialogue momentum and seeks the greatest common factor to strive for the best results,” Xi Jinping was cited by Chinese news source Xinhua in a phone call with Rouhani, according to Reuters.

China is Iran’s largest oil customer and has been consistent critic of unilateral sanctions placed on Tehran by the US and its allies.

President Rouhani implored the Chinese president to continue with its support.

“We expect China as a major and responsible country in the international community to play its role against excessive demands of some countries,” Rouhani said, according to Iran’s PressTV.