TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iranian President Hassan Rowhani said on Tuesday that peace with his country was the source of peace and war with it or all wars, calling on the United States to lift all sanctions if it wanted to negotiate with it.

In a press conference with his foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and broadcast on Iranian television, Rowhani said that if the United States wanted to negotiate with Tehran, it should first lift the sanctions.

The president stressed that the reduction of his country's nuclear commitments is not taken, saying that the Americans "proved themselves that their words are far from the truth."

Rowhani said Britain could not use the Strait of Hormuz freely at a time when Iran's ships were prevented from passing through the Strait of Gibraltar, which is controlled by the British authorities.

"In the past, British tankers refused our warnings in the Persian Gulf, but now it is completely different."

"Security for security, oil for oil, peace for peace, and strait for the strait, the Strait of Hormuz can not be open to you and the strait of Gibraltar is closed to us," Rowhani said.

Tensions have risen recently as rising sea tensions between London and Tehran sparked by the detention of an Iranian oil tanker near the British Crown Heights region of Gibraltar. Iran responded by holding a British-flagged ship in the Strait of Hormuz.

Arak nuclear facility is fully operational to double heavy water production (French)

Third step
Iran will take its third step in reducing the obligations under the nuclear deal within a month, said Iran's Atomic Energy Organization (IAEA) spokesman Behrooz Kamalundi. The stockpile of enriched uranium is on the rise and the Arak facility is fully operational to double heavy water production.

He reiterated that "measures to reduce pledges do not mean putting these commitments aside, but rather suspend them within the nuclear agreement, and if they return to their obligations we will return naturally to meet our obligations."

The United States withdrew last year from an agreement reached between Iran and the world powers in 2015 and re-imposed harsh economic sanctions on Tehran.

In response, Iran recently raised the level of uranium enrichment above the 3.67% stipulated in the agreement, and increased its stockpile of LEU above the agreed 300 kg level.

Iran accuses European countries of not taking concrete steps to ensure the economic advantages stipulated by the agreement in favor of Iran. Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif called on European countries to implement their commitments and not to link to the American position.