IRAN: Rouhani: No talks with US while under sanctions

President Hassan Rouhani has declared that Iran cannot enter talks with the “untrustworthy” administration of US President Donald Trump as long as Tehran is under the shadow of economic sanctions.   Rouhani made the comments in a televised interview on Monday evening, just hours before the first round of unilateral “snap back” US sanctions take effect […]

President Hassan Rouhani has declared that Iran cannot enter talks with the “untrustworthy” administration of US President Donald Trump as long as Tehran is under the shadow of economic sanctions.  

Rouhani made the comments in a televised interview on Monday evening, just hours before the first round of unilateral “snap back” US sanctions take effect on Tuesday.

“You cannot expect to talk to a person, after you stab him and leaving the knife in his body,” Rouhani, speaking in Persian, told IRIB state televison.

He said the US has proven to be an unreliable negotiating partner when it decided to withdraw from a multinational nuclear deal with Iran and reimpose sanctions against it.

“If there is trust, Iran always welcomes negotiations,” he said. “But negotiations doesn’t make sense while we are under sanctions.”

In late July, Trump, who has repeatedly criticised Iran’s leaders, said he is willing to meet with them with no preconditions – even though US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo later walked back some of the president’s comments.