Iran willing to negotiate with anyone except US, says supreme leader
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Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said European nations including the UK “cannot be trusted” but Tehran is not against negotiating with anyone – except the US.
Making his first sermon in eight years in Tehran, he branded Donald Trump a “clown” who only pretended to support the Iranian people and would “push a poisonous dagger” into their back.
The sermon was delivered after Iran’s rulers faced days of often violent protests after the military admitted to mistakenly shooting down an airliner in the tense hours after the missile strikes, which were in turn launched in retaliation for the U.S. killing on Jan. 3 of a top Iranian commander, close to Khamenei.
Mr Khamenei also hailed missile strikes against US targets in retaliation for the assassination of Iran’s top military commander as a “slap on the face” to the superpower.
American forces have now revealed that 11 troops were injured in the attack, after initially saying no service personnel had been hurt.
Mr Khamenei’s defiant address came as the Iranian leadership faced pressure both at home and abroad.
Thousands had gathered inside a large prayer hall in central Tehran and packed the surrounding streets, chanting “Death to America”.
Iran has been rocked by protests after the military admitted to mistakenly shooting down a passenger plane, killing all 176 passengers on board, in the tense hours after the missile attack.
