Iran says response to Trump's letter under 'assessment'

TEHRAN: Iran will conduct a “thorough assessment” before responding to US President Donald Trump´s letter urging nuclear talks and warning of possible military action if Tehran refuses, the foreign ministry said on Thursday.

“The letter was received last night and is currently being reviewed,” ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told the official IRNA news agency, adding: “A decision on how to respond will be made after a thorough assessment.”

The letter -- which Trump said was addressed to Iran´s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei -- was delivered to Tehran by senior United Arab Emirates diplomat Anwar Gargash. It was not immediately clear if Khamenei, who has the final say in matters of state, had personally received the letter.

On Wednesday, Khamenei said the US invitation to talks was aimed at “deceiving” world public opinion by portraying the United States as ready to negotiate and Iran as unwilling. He said the proposed negotiations “will not lift sanctions” but will instead “make the sanctions knot tighter”.

He described the US threat of possible military action as “unwise”, saying that Iran “was not seeking war, but if someone takes action, our response will be decisive and certain”. Trump, who returned to the White House for a second term in January, has reinstated his “maximum pressure” policy of sanctions against Iran, mirroring his approach during his first term. Then Trump unilaterally withdrew from the landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, and reimposed sweeping economic sanctions.