Iran's supreme leader commented Thursday on the open letter from U.S. Republican senators, calling it a sign of "disintegration" in Washington.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that Tehran will not take lessons from a "deceitful and backstabbing" Washington, and also expressed concerns over the fate of ongoing nuclear negotiations between Iran and world powers, reported the Guardian.
In an unprecedented move last week, 47 Republican senators wrote a letter to Iran's leaders, advising the country that a nuclear agreement could be reversed with "the stroke of a pen" after President Barack Obama leaves office.
The letter "indicates the collapse of political ethics in the United States," Khamenei, who makes final decisions for Iran, said during a meeting with members of Iran's top clerical group, reported The Guardian.
"Governments are bound to their commitments by international laws and would not violate their obligations with a change of government," he continued. "They [the Republican senators] said they want to teach us their own laws but we don't need their lessons, our officials know how to make agreements binding if there's a deal."
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier also criticized the Republican letter on Thursday, saying it was "not very helpful" being that negotiations are already in a "delicate phase," reported USA Today.
"It would have been difficult enough without the letter of the 47," he said. "Now it has become somewhat more difficult."
Khamenei emphasized his support for the Iranian negotiation team, saying they are "trustworthy and act based on the interests of the country."
"But I'm worried because the other side is cunning, deceitful and back-stabbing," he said.
"Each time we approach the deadline for talks, the other side, especially Americans, adopt a harsher and more aggressive tone. This is the nature of their tricks and deceptions."
Negotiations are set to resume next week between Iran and the p5+1 countries - Britain, China, France, Russia, the U.S. and Germany. Iran and the six powers are hoping to establish an "understanding" by the end of March and reach a full agreement by June 30.
The powers began talks today to explore the possibility of a U.N. resolution to lift U.N. sanctions on Iran if a nuclear deal is reached, reported Reuters.
