Iran's Revolutionary Guard chief criticises open letter urging talks with US over nuclear standoff

The chief of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard has criticised Iranian activists who signed an open letter last week asking Iran's leaders to take part in direct talks with Washington, saying they have "sided with the US, the enemy of the people."

The website of the Guard on Tuesday quoted Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari as saying "their recent action is a 100-signature letter asking for talks with Trump. They have accompanied the US, the enemy of the people."

"Possibly some of them were assigned" to sign the letter, he said, without offering evidence.

On Sunday, Iranian media reported that 100 Iranian activists, mostly foreign-based, wrote an open letter in which they asked Iranian leaders to hold "direct and unconditional talks" with the US to solve its differences with Washington.

The letter said that holding talks could protect Iran's national interests as well as solve some of its problems.

Signatories included former Mayor of Tehran and leader of reformist faction the Construction Party, Gholamhossein Karbaschi, former Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Assefi, jailed regime critic Ahmed Montazeri, journalist Jamila Kadivar and others.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday his country would not be able to remain in the 2015 nuclear accord unless it benefits from the agreement's provisions.