This comes after President Donald Trump floated talks with Tehran over its rapidly advancing nuclear program.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran’s supreme leader said Friday that negotiations with America “are not intelligent, wise or honorable” after President Donald Trump floated nuclear talks with Tehran.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also suggested that “there should be no negotiations with such a government,” but stopped short of issuing a direct order not to engage with Washington.

Khamenei’s remarks upend months of signals from Tehran to the United States that it wanted to negotiate over its rapidly advancing nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of crushing economic sanctions worth billions of dollars.

Khamenei noted that Trump unilaterally withdrew from the earlier nuclear deal under which Iran drastically limited its enrichment of uranium and overall stockpile of the material, in exchange for crushing sanctions being removed.

“The Americans did not uphold their end of the deal,” Khamenei said. “The very person who is in office today tore up the agreement. He said he would, and he did.”

  • @[email protected]English
    -3•5 hours ago

    Iran’s “President” is a figurehead with no real power. Having one be more “moderate” would not change the country’s direction, regardless of whether the US bombed it or not.
    Their Supreme Leader (chosen by a closed council) is the one who actually sets policy and has effectively full control, then their president follows those policies.

    • @MothmanDelorianEnglish
      1•31 minutes ago

      The Iranian President runs the day to day governance. The Grand Ayatollah focuses on the bigger picture.

    • @IndustryStandardOPEnglish
      3•3 hours ago

      The president did promise to revert many of the more conservative laws and extended an olive branch in exchange for sanction relief. Which was quickly set ablaze.

    • IcyangelEnglish
      -4•3 hours ago

      Removed by mod

      • @NOT_RICKEnglish
        1•4 hours ago

        According to the constitution (Article 111), the Assembly of Experts is tasked with electing (following Ayatollah Khomeini), supervising, and dismissing the Supreme Leader. In practice, the Assembly has never been known to challenge or otherwise publicly oversee any of the Supreme Leader’s decisions[20] (all of its meetings and notes are strictly confidential).[21] Members of the Assembly are chosen by bodies (the Guardian Council) whose members are appointed by the Supreme Leader or appointed by an individual (Chief Justice of Iran) appointed by the Supreme Leader.

        Just elected by a Guardian council that is in turn either appointed by the supreme leader or the Chief justice who is also appointed by the supreme leader. Pretty clearly a circular relationship. Nice name calling, though.

        • @[email protected]English
          5•2 hours ago

          It’s a theocracy. They basically copied the Vatican model. An assembly of ExpertsConclave of Cardinals, chosen by The Supreme LeaderPope convenes to elect the Supreme LeaderPope in absolute secrecy. The thing is, looking back at the last 20 years of American politics, the US is not that different, only it’s a Plutocracy. American politicians threw away any pretense of working for, or serving, the people a long time ago.

          • @NOT_RICKEnglish
            1•2 hours ago

            Agreed on all points

        • IcyangelEnglish
          -4•3 hours ago

          Removed by mod

            • IcyangelEnglish
              -3•3 hours ago

              Removed by mod

              • @NOT_RICKEnglish
                4•4 hours ago

                Did the supreme leader steal your punctuation keys? You’re clearly trolling, enjoy your imminent ban.