Only Leader should make decisions on Iran-U.S. ties: Iranian FM

TEHRAN, April 18 (MNA) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said that making decisions on the relations between Iran and the United States falls within the ambit of Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei. Salehi made the remarks in Tehran late on Monday during a meeting with a number of Egyptian media and cultural intellectuals when asked about the possibility of direct negotiations between Tehran and Washington. Only the Leader should make decisions in this regard, Salehi stated, adding, “However, Iran’s nuclear negotiations with the 5+1 group member states have been held with the participation of representatives of European countries and the United States,” he added. The Iranian delegation rejected the U.S. representatives’ request for a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the talks between Iran and the 5+1 group (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany), which were held in Istanbul on April 14.