Iran's supreme leader rules out imminent nuclear talks with US

Tehran, Sep 24 (IANS) Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei warned against nuclear negotiations with the United States under the present circumstances, saying it will not serve Iran's national interests.

"Under the present circumstances, negotiation with the US government is, firstly, of no help to our national interests, fails to have any benefit for us and will not prevent any loss," Khamenei said in a televised address on Tuesday.

He added that it would even lead to "major" losses for Iran, some of which could be "irreparable."

Khamenei said the American side had determined the final result of negotiations in advance by demanding the cessation of nuclear activities and uranium enrichment in Iran, stressing that such a process was not negotiations but "dictation and imposition."

He noted that the US had also demanded Iran abandon short-, medium- and long-range missiles, adding that it was aimed at preventing Iran from being able to respond to potential acts of aggression, Xinhua news agency reported.

Khamenei listed some of the US hostile actions against Iran over the past years, saying negotiation with the US on Iran's nuclear issue as well as other matters would be an "absolute dead end."

Iran signed a nuclear deal with world powers in July 2015, agreeing to put some curbs on its nuclear program in return for the removal of sanctions. The US, however, pulled out of the deal in May 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Iran, prompting Tehran to scale back its commitments under the deal.

In April, Iran and the US began indirect talks on Tehran's nuclear program and the removal of US sanctions. As the two sides were about to hold the sixth one in June, Israel launched major airstrikes on several areas in Iran, including nuclear and military sites, killing senior commanders, nuclear scientists and many civilians. Iran responded with multiple waves of missile and drone attacks on Israel. On June 22, US air forces bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities.

--IANS

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