Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has rejected a US offer to hold direct talks between Vice President Joe Biden and the Iranian regime about Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
In a speech in Munich, Germany, Biden stated that he was prepared to meet with an Iranian delegation for bilateral talks that would be ‘real and tangible.’ Khamenei, though, quickly rebuffed the American overture.
“You take up arms against the nation of Iran and say: ‘negotiate or we fire’. But you should know that pressure and negotiations are not compatible and our nation will not be intimidated by these actions,” he said.
Relations between the two countries have been hostile since the 1979 revolution in Iran that swept the US-backed Shah out of power, and replaced him with Khamenei’s predecessor, Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini.
The US views Iran as a supporter of international terrorism, and an existential threat towards the US’ ally in the region, Israel.
The Iranian regime, for its part, claims that the US as an international bully that uses military force against countries that do not do its bidding.
