Iran vows not to talk with US under threats

Iranian Foreign Ministry has said the US government should forget talks with Iran under sanction threats.

"Iran will never accept one-way negotiations that are based on excessive demands," Spokesman of Foreign Ministry Bahram Qasemi was quoted as saying on Wednesday by IRNA news agency.

"Iran has never hesitated to defend the people's rights, territorial integrity, or independence of the country," said Qasemi, Xinhua reported.

US President Donald Trump hinted on Monday that Washington was open to negotiate a new nuclear deal with Tehran ahead of looming deadline for Washington to snap back gold and oil sanctions on Iran.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday said that any negotiation with the US to solve the existing mutual problems was an "obvious mistake".

However, Khamenei stressed that negotiations with the Europeans should continue to secure Iran's interests from the 2015 international nuclear deal following the US withdrawal from it on May 8.

--IANS

pgh/