Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said Monday there would neither be war nor negotiations with the United States.
"Recently, the Americans have been talking blatantly about us. Besides the sanctions, they have raised two other issues: war and negotiations," the Leader told a group of people from different walks of life in a meeting in Tehran, his official website reported.
He said the US offer to hold talks with Iran is nothing new and has been raised regularly ever since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The Americans are not reliable and renege on their commitments, he recalled, adding that President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal was another proof of their untrustworthiness.
"When Iran becomes so powerful that US pressure and hooliganism will not have any impact on it, (then) it can negotiate with the US. That is not the case today. The Imam banned talks with the United States and I am banning it as well," he said, referring to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the late founder of the Islamic Republic.
"I would like to say a few words to the people: There will be no war, nor will we negotiate [with the US]," the Leader said.
Elaborating the point, he said, "There will be no war because, as in the past, we will never start a war, and the Americans will also not launch an attack against us because they know that it will be detrimental to their interests because Iran and the Iranian people have proved that they will deal a bigger blow to any aggressor."
Trump said in late July that he would be willing to meet Iran’s president "without preconditions" to discuss how to improve ties.
"I’d meet with anybody. I believe in meetings, especially in cases where war is at stake,” Trump said.
*** Economic Ills
The Leader said mismanagement, and not just US pressure, is to be blamed for the economic woes that have gripped the country and called on officials to improve their performance.
"Economic experts and many officials are unanimous that the cause of this issue (economic ills) is not external, it is internal. This is not to say that the sanctions do not have an impact, but the main thing is how we handle them. If a better, wiser, timely and stronger performance is shown, the sanctions will not have a great impact."
He said the disarray in the currency and gold markets is the result of imprudent decisions and policies, which paved the way for the exploitation of foreign currency resources by opportunists.
Ayatollah Khamenei said one of the issues that must be dealt with is the devaluation of the national currency and instructed those in charge to use the full force of the law against those harming the economy with their insatiable greed and malpractices.
Ill-wishers have been trying to give the false impression that the country has reached an impasse, he noted, stressing that he will continue to support the government of Hassan Rouhani.
Washington reimposed strict sanctions against Iran last Tuesday and Trump has threatened to penalize firms from other countries that continue to trade with Iran.
The Iranian rial has lost about half of its value since April in anticipation of the renewed US sanctions, driven mainly by heavy demand for dollars among ordinary Iranians trying to protect their savings.
