Ayatollah spurns American rapprochement

The Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has rejected the idea of strengthening relations with the United States.

He was making his first public comment on the issue since a television address to Americans by President Mohammad Khatami -- in which the President spoke of his desire for dialogue between the American and Iranian peoples.

Ayatollah Khamenei said that the American government was a bully; negotiating with it would harm what he called the world Islamic movement.

The BBC Iranian affairs reporter says the issue of relations with Washington has deepened the power struggle within the Iranian leadership.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service