Iran rules out talks with US

Iran President Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday ruled out holding any bilateral talks with the United States, saying his couwntry is strictly against any such negotiations in principle.

In an address to parliament, he also said, ''Iran was ready to further reduce its commitments to a landmark 2015 nuclear deal in the coming days if current negotiations yield no results by Thursday.''

"Maybe there has been a misunderstanding. We've said it several times and we repeat it -- there has been no decision to hold bilateral talks with the US," said Rouhani.

Tehran and Washington have been in a vehement disagreement since May last year when US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the US-Iran nuclear deal and began reimposing massive sanctions.

Meanwhile, France has been leading efforts to calm the situation, with President Emmanuel Macron expressing hope during G7 talks in late August of organizing a meeting between Rouhani and Trump.

Back in June, Japan has sought to broker dialogue between Iran and the United States, with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe traveling to the West Asian country, the first trip there by a sitting prime minister in over four decades.