Khamenei says Iran-US talks going well but may lead nowhere

TEHRAN: Iran´s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday he was satisfied with talks with arch-foe the United States but warned they could ultimately prove fruitless.

Saturday´s talks were “well carried out in the first steps”, Khamenei said, quoted by state television. “Of course, we are very pessimistic about the other side, but we are optimistic about our own capabilities.”

But he added that “the negotiations may or may not yield results”. Khamenei said Iran´s “red lines are clear”, without elaborating. Earlier on Tuesday, Iran´s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the country´s military capabilities were off limits in the discussions.

“National security and defence and military power are among the red lines of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which cannot be discussed or negotiated under any circumstances,” Guards spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini said. In March, Trump sent a letter to Iran´s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calling for nuclear talks and warning of possible military action if Tehran refused.

Trump addressed reporters on Monday regarding Iran, saying “I´ll solve that problem” and “That´s almost an easy one”.The US leader also threatened to attack Iran´s nuclear facilities and called Iranian authorities “radicals” who should not possess nuclear weapons.Iran has repeatedly denied seeking an atomic bomb, insisting its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes, especially the provision of energy.On April 12, Iran´s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, met with US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff in Oman for “indirect” talks, according to Iranian officials and media.