Dhaka, June 27 -- Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said Iran will "never surrender" to the United States, striking a defiant tone in his first remarks since a ceasefire with Israel took hold.

"The American president indicated in one of his statements that Iran must surrender.

Surrender! It is no longer a question of enrichment, nor of the nuclear industry, but of the surrender of Iran," said Khamenei in a statement and televised speech carried by state media on Thursday. "Such an event (surrender) will never happen. It will never happen."

Khamenei's remarks come two days after a ceasefire halted a 12-day war between Iran and Israel - the foes' deadliest and most destructive confrontation - and mark his first public appe...