Agencies Tehran

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said that the United States wants Tehran “to be obedient” to it, but the Iranian people will resist such “a grave insult”, state media reported on Sunday. “They want Iran to be obedient to America. The Iranian nation will stand with all of its power against those who have such erroneous expectations,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said during a religious event.

“People who ask us not to issue slogans against the US … to have direct negotiations with the US only see appearances … This issue is unsolvable”, he said amid a standoff with Western powers over Iran’s nuclear programme.

Khamenei’s comments come after Iran and European powers agreed on Friday to resume talks to try to restart full negotiations on curbing Tehran’s nuclear enrichment work. France, Britain and Germany said they could reactivate UN sanctions on Iran under a “snapback” mechanism if Tehran does not return to the table.  They are expected to hold talks on Tuesday.