Iran's top leader says any future talks with the United States will only involve issues related to the nuclear deal reached with world powers, not other areas.

Ayatollah Ali Khameini said, "We approved talks with the United States about nuclear issues specifically. In other areas, we did not and will not allow negotiations with the U.S." The comments appeared in a statement on his website Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that Iran was ready to hold talks with the U.S. on ways to settle Syria’s civil war. Ayatollah Khamanei’s comments are seen as a possible reaction to the president’s statement.