Iran’s supreme leader reiterated his call to mistrust the US, saying talks with Washington would be futile as it is in deep crisis now and cannot solve other nations’ problems. It comes as Tehran marks the anniversary of the US Embassy siege in 1979.

"Negotiations with the US will not resolve our problems, because firstly, it is a liar, disloyal, cheater and stabber in the back, and secondly, the US itself is crisis-stricken – and how can a crisis-hit country resolve another country's problems?" Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei said in Tehran on Wednesday, addressing a large gathering of Iranian school students and teachers.

The speech was dedicated to Students Day, when Iran marks the beginning of a 444-day hostage situation at the US Embassy in Tehran. On November 4, 1979, amid the Islamic Revolution, Iranian students broke into the diplomatic mission and took 52 American citizens hostage. The anniversary is marked on November 3 this year because the country observes an Islamic calendar.

Khamenei is a known skeptic toward possible rapprochement with the US, regularly criticizing Washington for not delivering on its promises. In his latest speech, he said the tenor of the presidential campaign in America indicated its moral bankruptcy and a general crisis of leadership.

“The policy and essence of the arrogant US government is on the basis of over-ambitiousness and for years it has applied the policy in different parts of the world, particularly in the Western Asia region and pre-revolution Iran,” he said.

“Now the Americans are in a situation that they have become desperate about the developments in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen and North Africa. Isn't this situation a crisis?"

Iran and the US have had difficult relations ever since the 1979 revolution in Iran. Under the Obama administration, relations between the two countries somewhat thawed as Tehran and six leading world powers negotiated a deal, under which Iran agreed to restrict its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.

The deal was pushed forward by reforming Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, with Supreme Leader Khamenei remaining skeptical, but neutral. The outcome angered hardliners in both countries as well as Iran’s regional adversaries like Israel and Saudi Arabia.

(RT)