'Nuclear deal not to help US influence in Iran'

Tehran, Aug 17: The recent nuclear deal with world powers will not pave the way for US influence in Iran, the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Monday, media reports said.

"They thought that this deal, which is not clear to be ratified in the US or Iran, will help them find a way for their influence in the country, but we blocked this way and we will block it determinedly," Xinhua quoted Khamenei as saying during the eighth General Assembly of Islamic Radio and Television Union, which started on Sunday in Tehran.

"We will neither allow US economic and political influence nor cultural, and with our utmost power we will counter their influence," he said.

After the landmark deal on Iran's nuclear programme, international sanctions on Tehran are expected to be lifted and foreign investments likely to pour in after years of economic isolation.

IANS