Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, ruled out negotiations with the United States over Tehran's ballistic missile and nuclear programs on Friday and urged Iranians to resist US pressure.
"America's brutal sanctions on Iran are aimed at collapsing our economy ... Their aim is to limit our influence in the region and to halt our missile and nuclear capabilities," Khamenei said in a speech broadcast live on television.
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"Relying on national capabilities and cutting our dependence on oil exports will help us to resist America's pressure," he said.
Khamenei also went on to say that European states have failed to salvage the country's 2015 nuclear deal with major powers from which the United States has already withdrawn.
"They have inflicted a blow on Iran's economy by hollow promises," Khamenei said.
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