Iran will not negotiate with US: Khamenei

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ruled out the possibility of negotiations with the US over the existing mutual thorny issues.

"We will not negotiate with the US as it will be fruitless and a loss," Khamenei was quoted as saying by official IRNA news agency on Wednesday.

The Iranian leader said that negotiations are the "US tactics to complement its pressures policy on Iran", Xinhua reported.

Iran possesses the "necessary tools" to confront US pressures, he added.

Iranian authorities have stressed that Tehran will not sit for negotiations under Washington's threats or sanction pressures.

Following US President Donald Trump's decision to quit the historic Iran nuclear pact on May 8, the United States reimposed sanctions, which had been lifted under the accord, against Iran and vowed to inflict punishments on nations and institutions that have business links with Iran.

Trump's administration has called for renegotiation of the Iranian 2015 nuclear deal as well as Tehran's developing missile program and its regional role.

On Wednesday, Khamenei also stressed that Iran's defensive power was non-negotiable.

--IANS

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