Cooperation between Iran and the United States is not possible as long as Washington continues to support Israel and to maintain military bases and interfere in the Middle East region, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Monday.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting with students in Tehran, Iran, November 3, 2025. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via Reuters
Cooperation between Iran and the United States is not possible as long as Washington continues to support Israel and to maintain military bases and interfere in the Middle East region, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Monday.
Khamenei's comments came as President Donald Trump's administration seeks to increase pressure on Iran.
"The Americans sometimes say they would like to cooperate with Iran. Cooperation with Iran is not possible as long as the U.S. continues to support the accursed Zionist regime, maintains military bases, and interferes in the region," Khamenei said, according to state media.
Trump said in October that the U.S. is prepared to make a deal with Iran when Tehran is ready to do so, saying: "The hand of friendship and cooperation [with Iran] is open."
The two countries held five rounds of nuclear talks, prior to a 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June, which Washington joined by striking key Iranian nuclear sites.
Talks between the two sides have faced major stumbling blocks such as the issue of uranium enrichment on Iranian soil, which Western powers want to bring down to zero to minimise any risk of weaponisation, a plan that Tehran has rejected.
Reporting by Parisa Hafezi
Saudi Arabia issued alerts on Thursday warning of potential danger in Yanbu, the kingdom's Red Sea oil export hub, as Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis continue attacks on the kingdom that have opened another front in the US-Israeli war on Iran.
US Vice President JD Vance distanced himself from President Donald Trump's war on Iran on Wednesday, questioning whether it was worth the cost and blaming it for Republicans' election losses that handed Democrats control of both chambers of Congress.
Turkey's parliament is set on Wednesday to ratify a defence pact with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan that includes a collective defence clause, committing NATO's second-largest army to Riyadh's defence as it faces attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.