Iranian spiritual leader Ayatollah Khamenei said on Friday that Tehran would reject any dialogue and ties with the USA, which he described as the enemy of Iran, Iranian TV reported.

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 Khamene'i explained the logical reasons of the Muslim people of Iran and the Islamic system for rejecting any dialogue and ties with the Arch Satan America as the enemy of the Iranian nation, the revolution and the Islamic system," the television said.

Khamene'i said US hopes that Iran was reconsidering establishing bilateral ties were completely unfounded.

"The esteemed leader termed as totally baseless and vague the allegations made by the American mass media to the effect that Iran intended to reconsider its ties with America."

"One must recognize the highly dangerous objectives of this sensational propaganda and one should be vigilant and alert in the face of the enemy's moves," Khamene'i said, according to the television.

BBC Monitoring (http://www.monitor.bbc.co.uk), based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.

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