Iran's supreme leader says any talks with US can only 'harm'

Iran's supreme leader said Wednesday that any negotiations with the US would "bring nothing but material and spiritual harm" in remarks before an American-led meeting on the Mideast in Warsaw.

The comments from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei were part of a seven-page statement read word-for-word on Iranian state television and heavily promoted in the run-up to its release.

They also come two days after Iran marked the 40th anniversary of its 1979 Islamic Revolution amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington.

"About the United States, the resolution of any issues is not imaginable and negotiations with it will bring nothing but material and spiritual harm," Khamenei said.

The supreme leader went on to describe any negotiations as an "unforgiveable mistake."
He also said negotiations would be like "going on your knees before the enemy and kissing the claws of the wolf."
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, during a Cabinet meeting Wednesday, echoed Khamenei's remarks, saying: "If the Iranian nation surrenders to the United States, it should surrender until the end."
He said, however, that "Iran is about negotiation, but we are not ready to accept imposition, bullying, pressure and the trampling of our national rights."