TEHRAN: Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Saturday that negotiating with the United States would not put an end to the troubles that have rocked the Islamic republic over the past two months.
Iran has had weeks of demonstrations sparked by the death of 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman Mahsa Amini on 16 September. She was arrested for allegedly breaching the country's strict dress code for women.
The riots were blamed for the riots on foreign enemies in the West, whom they accuse of inciting law-breaking.
According to some people in newspapers or on the internet that to put an end to the troubles that started a few weeks ago, all that's needed is to resolve your problem with America and listen to the voice of the nation, Khamenei said.
He said that he will not resolve anything in his comments on state television.
Our problem with America can only be solved by letting that country hold us to ransom. Khamenei said that in order to put an end to hostilities, the US wants Iran to abandon its nuclear programme, change its constitution, restrict its influence inside its borders, and close its defence industries.