Senior cleric defends US talks, warns Iran can't run on 'martyrdom alone'

Mostafa Pourmohammadi, secretary of Iran’s Combatant Clergy Association and a former interior and justice minister, criticized those who view current negotiations with the United States as a reluctant or imposed move.

“Some say talks with the US are being forced upon us out of desperation. That’s because we lack proper analysis and don’t understand our religious foundations or history,” he said in a speech Friday in Qom.

Pourmohammadi stressed that defending the Islamic system requires more than martyrdom. “If someone longs for martyrdom, there are also Muslims who want to live and continue practicing their faith,” he said. “If this country falls into the wrong hands, nothing of religion or faith will remain.”