Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, said negotiating with the United States was “unwise, unintelligent, and not honorable,” just days after President Donald Trump said he was willing to revive negotiations with Tehran.

But c stopped short of ordering Iran’s government, which for months has sent signals that it is interested in negotiations, not to engage with Washington. And though Khamenei made an unusual gesture last year of openness to talks, he has generally taken a publicly hostile posture toward Washington even while quietly allowing Iranian officials to negotiate.

In comments Friday, Khamenei argued that Iran’s previous experiences negotiating with the United States showed that Washington could easily renege on agreements.

Under Trump’s previous administration, the United States unilaterally withdrew from a nuclear deal under which Iran would limit its enrichment and stockpiling of uranium in exchange for sanctions relief.

— The New York Times