Islamic Leader requesting cooperation of Superpowers

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has said cooperation between independent governments can be a countermeasure against global totalitarianism.

"The only way to change the oppressive relations in the world today is through the formation of closer ties between independent states," the Leader declared on Sunday.

"Superpowers have defined vertical relations in the world which places a superpower at the top. These relations must be changed and their change is possible," Ayatollah Khamenei said.

The remarks were made in a meeting with visiting Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on the eve of the G15 summit in Tehran. The meeting was also attended by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The US and Russia have billed Lula's visit as Iran's "last chance" at avoiding a fourth round of tougher UN sanctions over its nuclear program.

In an allusion to the US ultimatum, Ayatollah Khamenei said Washington is unhappy to see the expansion of cooperation between independent states and their influential role in world affairs.

"One blatant example of this is the commotion created by US over your visit to Iran. It is because they are opposed to such relations," the Leader told Lula, who is in Tehran to work with Iranian official on a possible nuclear fuel swap deal that would render the US-pursued sanctions unnecessary.

Lula reiterated his support for the Islamic Republic's right to pursue technological progress and said bilateral ties could help turn Tehran and Brasilia into political and economic poles.

"Brazil believes Iran has every right to defend its independence and seek progress and development," highlighted Lula, whose country is a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (UNSC).

Another non-permanent UNSC member, Turkey, has also signaled readiness to enter trilateral talks on finding a diplomatic solution to the nuclear standoff.

Washington and its European allies have accused Iran of harboring a covert military nuclear program and are pushing to pass a US-drafted sanctions resolution.

Iran has repeatedly rejected the accusations, arguing that as a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) it has the right to a civilian nuclear program aimed at electricity generation and medical research.