Khamenei admits mistake over talks on landmark deal

TEHERAN - Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has admitted he made a mistake in allowing the country's foreign minister to speak to his US counterpart during negotiations that led to a 2015 international nuclear agreement.

International sanctions on Iran were lifted when the pact with world powers came into force in 2016, but the expected level of foreign investment to help revive the economy has never materialized. Then this May, US President Donald Trump pulled out of the agreement and is now reimposing new sanctions in stages.

Khamenei, who rarely admits in public to making errors, said he had done just that over the nuclear talks. "With the issue of the nuclear negotiations, I made a mistake in permitting our foreign minister to speak with them. It was a loss for us," he said.