|
 Khamenei, the highest authority in the Islamic Republic, already
said last month there would be no more talks with the United States
after the nuclear deal, but has not previously declared an outright
ban.
His statements directly contradict those of moderate Iranian
President Hassan Rouhani, who says his government is ready to hold
talks with the United States on how to resolve the conflict in
Syria, where the two countries back opposing sides.
"Negotiations with the United States open gates to their economic,
cultural, political and security influence. Even during the nuclear
negotiations they tried to harm our national interests.," Khamenei
was quoted as saying on his website.
"Our negotiators were vigilant but the Americans took advantage of a
few chances," he said.
Although he supported the last 18 months of negotiations, Khamenei
has not publicly endorsed the nuclear agreement with the United
States, Germany, France, Britain, China and Russia that settled a
standoff of more than a decade.
 The West feared Iran wanted to develop nuclear weapons, suspicions
Tehran denies.
The agreement, which curbs Iran's nuclear program in exchange for
crippling sanctions being lifted, was welcomed by Iranians who are
keen to see their living standards improve and better relations with
the rest of the world.
It was also a great political victory for Rouhani and his faction in
Iran ahead of some key elections next year and as such has deepened
the divide in Iran's complex power structure between moderates and
hardliners.
"CRITICAL SITUATION"
In his address to Revolutionary Guards Navy commanders, Khamenei
said talks with the United States brought only disadvantages to
Iran.
"Through negotiations Americans seek to influence Iran ... but there
are naive people in Iran who don't understand this," Khamenei was
quoted as saying to the IRGC commanders, who are also running much
of Iran's military involvement in Syria.
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Hundreds of Iranian troops arrived in Syria last month, sources told
Reuters, where they will join government forces and their Lebanese
Hezbollah allies in a major ground offensive backed by Russian air
strikes.
The West dispute the aims of Russia's air campaign, which is causing
friction between Moscow and NATO.
"We are in a critical situation now as the enemies are trying to
change the mentality of our officials and our people on the
revolution and our national interests," Khamenei told the Guards.
Khamenei often invokes an unspecified "enemy" when talking about
Western powers, particularly the United States and Israel, which he
suspects of plotting to overthrow the Islamic Republic.
His comments might invigorate the hardline lawmakers seeking the
impeachment of Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif over shaking
hands with U.S. President Barack Obama on the sidelines of the U.N.
General Assembly.
"On and off the record, it was an accident," Zarif said in an
interview with New Yorker on Tuesday.
"It has already cost me at home. But everything I do costs me at
home, so this is not an aberration."
(This version of the story was refiled to fix typo in paragraph one)
(Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin; Editing by Toby Chopra and
Raissa Kasolowsky)
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