DUBAI: The Supreme Leader of Iran on Tuesday opened the door to renewed talks with the United States over his country’s nuclear program as he told the government there was “no barrier” to engaging with its “enemy.”
His remarks set clear red lines for any negotiations taking place under the government of President Masoud Pezeshkian and renewed his warnings that America wasn’t to be trusted.
But his statement mirrors those around the time of Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with international powers, which saw Tehran’s nuclear program curtailed in exchange for the lifting of crippling economic sanctions.
“We do not have to pin our hope to the enemy. For our plans, we should not wait for approval by the enemies,” Khamenei in a video broadcast by state television said. “It is not contradictory to engage the same enemy in some places, there’s no barrier.”
Khamenei, who has final authority on all state matters, also warned Pezeshkian not to trust the enemy.
Khamenei, 85, has occasionally urged talks or rejected them after then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from the deal.
