Iran ready to negotiate with US but not under maximum pressure

TEHRAN: Iran was ready to negotiate with the United States but not under the “maximum pressure” strategy of US President Donald Trump, Tehran´s chief diplomat suggested on Saturday.

“The lifting of sanctions requires negotiations, but not within the framework of a ´maximum pressure´ policy, because it would not be a negotiation but a form of surrender,” said Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in a statement published on Telegram.

The foreign minister´s statement came after Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged the government not to negotiate with Washington, calling such an approach “reckless”.

Khamenei, who has the final say on all strategic decisions in Iran, referred to Iran´s previous experience negotiating with the United States to justify his position. Trump on Wednesday called for a “verified nuclear peace agreement” with Iran, adding that it “cannot have a nuclear weapon”.

Aragchi said on Saturday that “Iran does not want to negotiate with a country that is simultaneously imposing new sanctions”.