Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei rejects cooperation with the United States while condemning Washington's support for Israel [Image by Arabiya]
Addressing thousands of students and families of fallen soldiers in Tehran, Khamenei said that Iran’s conflict with the US is “fundamental, not tactical.”
He further said cooperation would only be possible if the US, “withdraws its military bases from the region and stops interfering in our affairs, which will not happen anytime soon.”
“Cooperation with Iran and support for the occupying entity are incompatible,” Khamenei said. “We can talk when America ends its support for the Zionist regime.”
Khamenei called recent US calls for engagement “void and unacceptable” as he accused Washington of hypocrisy in maintaining military and diplomatic backing for Israel.
Iran Rejects U.S. Preconditions for Nuclear Talks
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera Arabic that Tehran is still open to dialogue but would not rush into new nuclear talks under US terms.
“Any negotiation must be based on mutual interest and equal footing,” Araghchi said. He dismissed Washington’s conditions, such as halting uranium enrichment and limiting Iran’s missile program, as “illogical and unfair.”
“It appears they are not in a hurry,” he said. “We are not in a hurry, either.”
Araghchi disclosed that most of Iran’s 400 kilograms of 60-percent enriched uranium remain “buried under rubble” following Israeli and US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities earlier this year.
Despite renewed UN sanctions and domestic economic strain, the minister said Iran’s patience is due to shifting regional sentiment against Israel.
“Netanyahu is a war criminal who has committed every atrocity,” Araghchi said, referring to the Israeli prime minister. “But he exposed the truth, that Israel, not Iran, is the region’s main enemy.”
This chimes with the view expressed by Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad al-Busaidi at the Manama Dialogue forum when he declared that “Israel, not Iran, is the primary source of insecurity in the region.”
Oman has long acted as an intermediary between Tehran and Washington, facilitating indirect discussions on nuclear and humanitarian matters.
Diplomatic Stalemate and European Friction
Iran’s Tasnim news agency denied reports that the US had sent a new message through Oman, calling the claim “incorrect.”
Araghchi reiterated that the only way forward was through indirect negotiations and stressed that “Iran will not accept disarmament.”
According to Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi, the US “does not show readiness to negotiate on equal terms,” thus giving Tehran “no reason to continue talks.”
At the UN, IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi confirmed that Iran “is not and was not” developing nuclear weapons and that inspections have resumed under a deal brokered in Cairo.
Meanwhile, Tehran announced its full withdrawal from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, though it insists on maintaining diplomatic engagement.
Flights between Iran and Europe are gradually resuming: Austrian Airlines has just restarted operations to Tehran, while Lufthansa is expected to do the same.
Araghchi emphasized that Tehran is ready to engage, but only if Washington respects equality. “Iran will talk if the US decides to negotiate on equal terms, based on mutual interests,” he said. “The era of America dictating the terms is over.”
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