Iran's supreme leader has opened up the possibility of renewed talks with the US over Iran's fast-growing nuclear program, telling the government that "there is no obstacle” for interaction with "the enemy", the Associated Press reported, quoted by BTA.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has drawn clear red lines for any negotiations under the leadership of reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian's government and has again warned that the US cannot be trusted.
His comments are reminiscent of those made at the time of Iran's nuclear deal with world powers in 2015, under which Tehran's nuclear program was significantly curtailed in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.
"We must not pin our hopes on the enemy. We should not wait for approval from the enemies for our plans,” Khamenei said in a video broadcast by state television. "But it is not contradictory to talk with this same enemy on some issues, there is no obstacle to that,”, he added.
Khamenei, who has the final say on all state affairs, nevertheless warned Pezeshkian's cabinet: "Don't trust the enemy.
Khamenei, 85, has occasionally called for talks with the US or rejected the idea after previous US President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled his country out of the nuclear deal.