Khamenei says, U.S. seeks Iran's "obedience," rejects direct talks

Supreme leader of Iran, Ayatullah Khamenei.

 TEHRAN, Aug. 24 (Xinhua/UNB) -- Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said on Sunday the United States confronts Iran because it wants the country to be "obedient," a demand he called "offensive" and vowed the nation would resist.

Speaking in Tehran, Khamenei rejected calls for direct negotiations with Washington and said U.S. hostility has been consistent since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the official news agency IRNA reported.

He referred to a June 13 attack on Iran, saying that U.S.-linked groups met in a European capital the next day to discuss a "post-Islamic Republic" order, even proposing a monarch. Those efforts, he said, were thwarted by the resilience of the Iranian people and state institutions.

Khamenei urged domestic unity and support for President Masoud Pezeshkian, warning that Iran's adversaries were now seeking to stir divisions at home.

He also condemned Israel's campaign in Gaza, called on Western states to halt support for it, and praised actions by Yemen's Houthi movement against Israel as justified.