Iran’s supreme leader rules out direct talks with US, accuses Washington of seeking ‘obedience’
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Tehran: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has dismissed the possibility of direct negotiations with the United States, accusing Washington of trying to make Iran “obedient,” a demand he described as offensive.
Addressing a gathering in Tehran on Sunday, Khamenei said US hostility towards Iran has been consistent since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. He claimed that a day after a June 13 attack on Iran, US-linked groups convened in a European capital to discuss a “post-Islamic Republic” order, even floating the idea of restoring a monarchy. According to him, these plans were foiled by the resilience of the Iranian people and state institutions, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the official IRNA.
He argued that the rare Israeli and US strikes in June, which targeted nuclear facilities and triggered Iranian retaliation, were aimed at destabilizing the country. Khamenei urged national unity and support for President Masoud Pezeshkian, warning that Iran’s adversaries were attempting to create domestic divisions.
The Supreme Leader also condemned Israel’s offensive in Gaza, urged Western powers to end their support for it, and praised the Yemeni Houthi movement’s actions against Israel as legitimate.
Tehran and Washington severed ties after the 1979 revolution and the subsequent US embassy hostage crisis. Since then, the United States has repeatedly imposed sanctions on Iran, most recently over its nuclear program.