Khamenei: Nuclear deal will not alter policies with ‘arrogant’ US

In a televised speech given on Saturday in Tehran, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stated that the ground-breaking nuclear deal with the world’s powers would not affect the country’s policies against an “arrogant” United States.

Khamenei reiterated that whether the prepared text of the deal is approved or not will not matter when it comes to Iran’s political establishment or its foreign policy in the region.

“Our policies toward the arrogant US government will not change. US policies in the region differ from Iran’s by 180 degrees,” he said.

Iran would continue to support and fund armed groups in the region, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and Palestinian resistance groups, in addition to backing the governments of Syria and Iraq.

The remarks were greeted by chants of "Death to America" from the crowd at a ceremony in Tehran to mark the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

As the supreme leader, Khamenei has the final say on matters of state both domestic and foreign, and supported nuclear negotiations between his country and the P5+1 solely based on the national interest and benefits it would present to Iran.

The nuclear deal marks a turning point in which Iran will limit its nuclear activity in exchange for the lifting of sanctions, in which President Hassan Rouhani described as a “historic” deal that opens a “new chapter” in Iran’s relations with the world.

Khamenei also stated that direct talks with Washington were limited to the nuclear issue, and that there will not be further dialogue over other topics.

“We haven’t any other talks with the US on regional and bilateral issues,” he said.