US is Great Satan, Britain evil: Khamenei

The Ayatollah also accused Washington of not being committed to a nuclear deal reached between Tehran and six major powers, including the United States, in 2015 that aims to curb the country’s disputed nuclear programme. Under the agreement, economic sanctions were lifted in January after Iran suspended sensitive nuclear work that the West suspects was aimed at creating a nuclear bomb. Iran denies seeking a nuclear bomb. Inflation, unemployment and other economic hardships persuaded the Ayatollah to support President Hassan Rouhani on the nuclear question aimed at improving the  parlous state of Iran’s economy. “America has continued its enmity towards Iran since [the 1979 Islamic] revolution. It is a huge mistake to trust evil Britain and the Great Satan (the United States),” Iran’s supreme leader said in a speech broadcast live on state TV. “We will not cooperate with America over the regional crisis,” he said, adding that: “Their aims in the region are 180 degrees opposed to Iran’s.”

Relations with Washington were severed after Iran’s 1979 Islamic revolution and enmity to the United States has always been a rallying point for hardliner supporters of the Ayatollah in Iran. Tehran and Washington have common interests and threats across the Middle East. They have cooperated tactically in the past, including when Tehran helped Washington counter the al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and the Islamic State militants (IS) in Iraq.