TEHRAN, June 27: Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday Tehran saw ‘no use’ in negotiating with the United States, and again signalled the country was unwilling to freeze sensitive nuclear work.

Although Ayatollah Khamenei said Iran was ready to ease international concerns over its atomic drive, he said that ‘negotiations with the United States are of no use for us. We have no need for such negotiations’.

“We will not negotiate with anyone over the undeniable right of nuclear technology and using it,” he added, again signalling Iran was unwilling to bow to international demands to suspend uranium enrichment.

“If they recognise this right, we are ready to negotiate over supervision controls,” he added.

The White House said it did not view scepticism from Iran’s supreme leader as the final word on a US offer to join direct talks with Iran if it agrees to halt sensitive nuclear activity. “The comments are ambiguous,” White House spokesman Tony Snow said.

Washington’s offer to participate in the European Union’s talks with Iran was part of a package aimed at persuading the country to stop nuclear enrichment work. That offer was seen as a major policy change for the United States, which has not had diplomatic ties with Tehran since 1980.

Mr Snow said the Bush administration expects the official reaction to be delivered to the United States through EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana from Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani.

“The position has always been the same, which is when Mr. Larijani communicates with Javier Solana, that is how we expect to have an answer to the proposal,” Snow said. He added that there is a pattern of “differing voices coming out of Iran.”

—Reuters