Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has welcomed comments by US President Barack Obama damping down talk of war against Tehran over its controversial nuclear drive.

"This talk is good talk and shows an exit from illusion," Khamenei's website quoted the leader as telling clerics from the Assembly of Experts.

Obama on Tuesday said that Iran's nuclear programme was not an immediate threat, arguing a "window" for diplomacy could forestall an Iranian bomb, while slamming Republican candidates for their hawkish statements demanding military action on the Islamic republic.

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