Khamenei Banks Rumors Of Iran Establishing Contact With The United States

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (Source: IRNA)

JAKARTA - Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei denied claims that Iran had contacted the United States to negotiate through a third country, calling the news a "total lie."

"They spread Iranian rumors of sending messages to America through a country, it's really a lie," Khamenei said, adding Tehran should not be in a relationship or cooperation with what he called a "instigating war" US Government, as reported by Al Arabiya November 28.

Khamenei also accused Washington of starting a Russian-Ukraine war and criticized US President Donald Trump for failing to fulfill his promise to end the conflict.

"The current president of America said he would finish (the Ukraine war) in three days. Almost a year has passed, and now he is imposing a 28-point plan on the country he brought into the war," Khamenei said.

"Wherever America intervenes, the result is incitement to war, genocide, destruction, and evacuation," he added.

Khamenei further claimed the United States and Israel failed to achieve their goal during the 12-day war with Iran earlier this year.

"Yes, we suffered losses, we lost valuable lives. This is the essence of war. But the people who started the attack suffered more losses than us," he said.

Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran in June, sparking a war that the US had followed with an attack on Iran's main nuclear facility.

Israeli attacks sparked Iranian responses with missile and drone strikes, as well as thwarted nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington that began in April.

The ceasefire between Iran and Israel has been in effect since June 24.

Since the war, President Trump has repeatedly said US attacks have destroyed Iran's nuclear program, although its level of damage is still unknown.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon said the attack delayed Iran's nuclear program by one or two years.

"In a 12-day war, America suffered heavy losses. America uses the latest and most advanced offensive and defensive weapons, but cannot achieve what it wants," Khamenei said.

Iranian leaders have previously denied President Trump's claim that Iran's nuclear program had been destroyed, and asked him to "continue to dream."