Iran's supreme leader rejects US engagement call

Al-Arabiya



TEHRAN (Agencies)



Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei On Sunday rejected a U.S. call for engagement and full diplomatic relations saying Washington's actions were opposite to its call for dialogue.



"The new administration and president claimed interest in just and fair relations, they wrote letters and sent messages ... saying they are willing to normalize relations with the Islamic republic but in practice they did the opposite," he said in an address in the holy city of Mashhad on the occasion of the Iranian new year. It was carried by state television.





" If they were able to do it, the U.S. and Zionist regime would have sent troops to Tehran's streets, but they knew it would hurt them. Thus they spread propaganda and supported the rioters "

Iran supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Khamenei added that the "enemies" of the Islamic republic had plans to start "civil war" after last June's elections.



Blaming the United States and Israel for much of the unrest after the presidential election, Khamenei said: "The enemies wanted to divide the people... and to create a civil war, but the nation was alert.



"If they were able to do it, the U.S. and Zionist regime would have sent troops to Tehran's streets, but they knew it would hurt them. Thus they spread propaganda and supported the rioters."



Iran was plunged into one of its worst political crises after the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a vote his rivals claim was massively rigged.