Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has declared that he will not lift his ban on negotiations with the United States and described the two countries as ‘implacable foes.’
While addressing a gathering to celebrate the 40th anniversary since the seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran during the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Khamenei emphasized that his persistent refusal projects the Islamic Republic’s endurance.
“The most important answer has been that further influence on the country by the U.S. is blocked by the Islamic Republic,” said the Supreme Leader. He went on to insist that “Discouraging negotiations (with the U.S.) is not merely something emotional” but that it is supported by “a strong logic” that “blocks the enemy’s way of influence,” in an outward demonstration to the world of the “power and dignity of the Islamic Republic.”