TEHRAN, Oct 30: Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Syed Ali Khamenei rejected any direct talks with the United States on Tuesday and threatened to sack officials who speak in favour of US ties.

“This is not a prejudiced opinion. It is an educated assessment based on thorough studies and experiences of other countries,” Khamenei said at a rally.

“We have reached the conclusion that not just relations, but any negotiation, with America is against the nation’s interests,” he said in remarks broadcast on state television.

Some Iranian reformers have demanded that Iran seize the chance and move to end 23 years of estrangement.

They say Iran should think first of its long-term strategic interests, rather than ideological concerns. Khamenei sought to quash any such opinions made in public.

“If anyone in the government or parliament takes a stance against the ideals of the Islamic system, he is not fit to continue his duties from a religious point of view,” he said.—Reuters