Iran's Supreme Leader: US Is Nation's 'Number One Enemy'

After President Trump refused to recertify Iran's compliance with a 2015 nuclear deal, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said it was a "waste [of] time to respond to the rants and whoppers of the foul-throated president of the United States." But the country's supreme leader had more to say in response Thursday, when he declared America "the number one enemy of our nation," Reuters reports. "The American president's foolish remarks against our people show the depth of America's hostility towards the entire Iranian nation," he said in a televised speech. "We will never accept their bullying over the nuclear deal ... Americans are using all the wickedness to damage the result of the nuclear talks."

The US is the only one of the signatories of the multinational nuclear deal refusing to recertify, and the UN on Sunday confirmed Iran is still adhering to the deal, which lifted most sanctions in exchange for Tehran cutting back on its development of its nuclear program. The other signatories say even withdrawal by the US—which is up to Congress—would not cancel the international accord, but Iran has warned of consequences if the deal does crumble. "Any retreat by Iran will make America more blatant and impudent," Khamenei said Thursday. "Resistance is the only option." His speech comes a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed support for the deal during a visit to Iran, the AP reports. Khamenei told Putin during that visit that Iran and Russia must work together toward Middle East stability and isolate the US, Reuters reports. (More Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stories.)