Tehran - In response to US statements, Tehran has said it will not negotiate with Washington under economic sanctions, as the administration of President Donald Trump continues to seek a coalition to protect maritime navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said his country would not initiate negotiations with the United States under pressure and economic terrorism, he said.
Mousavi added - in remarks to Iranian television - that Washington has proved its lack of sincerity in talking about the negotiations because it continues to threaten his country and put weapons in the face.
He pointed out that the imposition of sanctions on Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif contradicts statements about dialogue, and illustrates the confusion of the US position on Iran, he said.
The Iranian official stressed that his country will not take these positions and statements seriously. President Hassan Rouhani said earlier that the United States, if it wants to negotiate with his country, should lift all sanctions.
His comments come in response to remarks by a State Department spokeswoman that President Trump is waiting for Iranian officials to contact if they want to negotiate.
Amid the tension - exacerbated by recent incidents involving oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz - Trump has expressed willingness to negotiate with Iran without preconditions, but recently appeared to have retreated, saying that his administration is not currently ready to negotiate with the Iranians.
The possibility of negotiations between Iran and the United States seemed more complicated after the Trump administration imposed sanctions on Khamenei and Zarif, and with Washington's efforts to form a maritime alliance, which Iran warns of its danger, especially after Israel said it would contribute to it.