Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei criticized both Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump in a speech he gave on Wednesday, November 2 marking the 1979 takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, the Associated Press reports.

In his remarks, Khamenei said Clinton and Trump's comments in the presidential debates "are sufficient for the annihilation of the reputation of the United States."

He didn't name either candidate in his speech.

He also described Americans as "liars, untrustworthy, deceitful and backstabbers" while saying he still opposed any direct negotiations with the U.S. following the nuclear deal.

Iranian state television aired two of the three U.S. presidential debates live.

Khamenei in October described the two candidates as "bad and worse," without attributing the qualities.