According to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Tehran is ready to hold talks with the United States if the latter lifts sanctions and stops to exert pressure on Iran.
"By returning to the negotiation table, they mean negotiating with U.S. We won’t negotiate with Americans. Because there’s no use negotiating and it’s even harmful. Otherwise we have no problems negotiating with others & with Europeans," Khamenei wrote on his Twitter page.
At the same time, the supreme leader said Iran was not ready to discuss some topics with other countries.
"We won’t negotiate on the core issues of the Revolution. Negotiations on this issue implies trading; that is, they mean we give up on our defensive capabilities. We won’t negotiate our military capability," Khamenei added.
The US-Iranian tensions flared up last year when the United States unilaterally withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran and started reinstating sanctions on the Islamic republic. On May 8, Iran announced its decision to partially discontinue its obligations under the nuclear agreement.
The United States has in recent weeks stepped up its forces in the Middle East in what US National Security Adviser John Bolton has called a clear and unmistakable message to Iran. The new US deployments in the region include an aircraft carrier strike group, Patriot missiles, B-52 bombers and F-15 fighters, according to the Pentagon.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said that Iran does not intend to wage war with the United States, but will continue to resist Washington. Acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan has made similar remarks, saying the United States was not seeking war against Iran.
