Iran’s problem with the “enemy” is fundamental and will never be resolved with negotiations, Vice President Mohammad Mokhber told reporters on Tuesday.

Without naming the United States, Mokhber said, “Some think [the problem with the enemy] will be resolved through talks, but it is not so, although we should negotiate to lift the sanctions.”

Praising what he called the people’s readiness to sacrifice, the vice president added, “In negotiating with the West we need to be in a position of power and the enemy should accept that it cannot eradicate us. This crucial need cannot be addressed with ballistic missiles, but with people’s support and their high spirits.”

He compared the current situation with the 8-year war between Iran and Iraq in the 1980s, to highlight the importance of sacrifices by the people.

Mokhber’s comments come as Iran’s decade-old economic crisis has led to repeated protests and labor strikes since 2017 and the weakening of regime’s legitimacy. The June 2021 presidential elections also saw the lowest turnout in the 43-year history of the Islamic Republic.

Mokhber was a top business manager in the office of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei before becoming President Ebrahim Raisi’s first vice president. He was the director of the Execution of Imam Khomein’s Order, an entity meant to be a charitable organization, which has become a business conglomerate by controlling companies, banks and businesses.