Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE
In his first comments since Rouhani, committed to easing Iran's international isolation, spoke by telephone with US President Barack Obama, Khamenei also emphasized that he does not trust the United States as a negotiating partner.
The phone call between Rouhani and Obama, the highest-level contact between the two deeply estranged countries since 1979, capped off a week of overtures by Rouhani and his foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to the West.
The landslide election in June of Rouhani, a centrist cleric, has raised hopes of a negotiated settlement to Tehran's long-running dispute with the West over its nuclear programme -though it is Khamenei who will make the final decision on the contours of any deal.
"We support the government's diplomatic movements and place importance on diplomatic efforts, and support what was in this last trip," Khamenei said in a speech, according to the ISNA news agency. "Of course, in our opinion some of what occurred in the New York trip was not proper."
He did not elaborate on that point, but added: "While we are optimistic about our government's diplomatic staff, we are pessimistic about the Americans. The US government is not trustworthy, is self-important, and breaks its promises."
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@unbelievable: “We support the government’s diplomatic drive, including the New York trip, because we trust the administration, which is dedicated to serving [the people], and we are optimistic about it.”
“However, some of the things that happened during the New York trip were not appropriate, because we believe the US government is untrustworthy, arrogant and irrational, and one that reneges on its promises,” the Leader added.
This is what Iran's leader has said.
Do you think that they should trust USA after now its common knowledge that america was involved in the Iran coup of 1953? Nobody will trust.
Pakistan is in shambles after trusting America.
How typical - religious extremist throws cold water on event that the rest of the World viewed as positive. Obama and Rouhani went out of their way to avoid name calling - but not so for the religious leader who one wold think is suppose to promote peace. Khamenei needs to take a chill pill.