An international adviser to the spiritual leader of Iran ruled out the possibility of negotiations between Tehran and Washington and said engaging in talks with the US is tantamount to surrender.

In a speech on Wednesday, Ali Akbar Velayati deplored a recent letter signed by a number of Iranian reformist figures who demanded the country’s officials hold direct negotiations with the US to resolve the standoff over the nuclear deal known, Tasnim reported.

“Negotiating with an individual who is not committed to any international agreements and does not even live up to pledges he has made to his allies would mean nothing but surrendering to the United States,” Velayati added.