Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei launched another vicious verbal assault against Israel on Saturday, calling the Jewish state “a dangerous, deadly cancerous tumor in the region” that “must be uprooted [and] will be uprooted.” Speaking at a public event in Tehran, Khamenei accused Israel of being “the source of corruption, the source of war, and the source of discord” in the Middle East, according to Iran’s state news agency IRNA. The Iranian dictator also turned his ire toward U.S. President Donald Trump and his recent diplomatic visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Khamenei called the visit “a disgrace to the American nation.” “Trump said he wanted to use power for peace; he lied,” Khamenei declared. “He and American officials, American administration, used power to massacre Gaza, to incite war wherever they could, and to support their own mercenaries.” Despite his inflammatory rhetoric, Khamenei insisted that the Islamic Republic seeks to build its power for “peace and security,” echoing talking points routinely issued by Tehran even as tensions escalate across the region. The remarks come amid renewed efforts by European powers to rein in Iran’s nuclear program. On Friday, British, French, and German officials—the so-called E3—met with Iranian delegates in Istanbul in a bid to draft a replacement for the faltering 2015 nuclear agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The talks follow repeated Iranian breaches of the original accord, including enrichment of uranium far beyond the 3.67% limit permitted under the deal. In response, the E3 have reportedly discussed triggering the U.N. “snapback” mechanism to reinstate international sanctions—a move Iranian officials warn would carry “irreversible consequences.” “Iran and the three European countries are determined to maintain and make optimal use of diplomacy,” tweeted Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi following the meeting. “We will meet again to continue the discussions if necessary.” Meanwhile, rumors swirl of a possible fifth round of indirect U.S.-Iran negotiations, though no firm timeline has emerged. European diplomats, who are not directly involved in those talks, have expressed frustration over the Trump administration’s lack of clarity on its Iran policy, Reuters reported. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)