Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has snubbed European's mediation efforts between Tehran and Washington, saying "They pretend to be mediating and talk too much, which is all hollow words," he said.
Speaking to members of the Assembly of Experts at the end of their annual gathering in Tehran on Thursday September 26, Khamenei warned, "There is nothing wrong with visits and signing agreements, but one should absolutely not trust them or pin any hopes on them," Official news agency IRNA quoted him as saying.
Khamenei explained that "as far as their motivation for enmity with Iran is concerned, Europeans are not so much different from Americans."
Nevertheless, Khamenei said that "The roads to interaction with all countries except U.S. and Israel are open and these European countries, (meaning France, Germany and the UK) should not be trusted at all, as they are clearly the enemies of the Iranian nation."
France has been leading mediation initiatives between Iran and the United States during the past two months and particularly during Rouhani's presence in New York over the past few days.
Khamenei had already officially forbidden negotiations with the United States.
Meanwhile, Iranian officials have criticized Europe on many occasions for failing to help Iran with its oil exports and international banking after the United States left the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and imposed harsh sanctions on the country's economy.