The United States will not lift sanctions on Iran in order to negotiate, U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted late on Saturday, seemingly in response to a Der Spiegel interview with Iran's Foreign Minister. 

"Iranian Foreign Minister says Iran wants to negotiate with The United States, but wants sanctions removed. @FoxNews @OANN No Thanks!" Trump tweeted in English on Saturday and later in Farsi. 

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Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif responded on Sunday by tweeting an excerpt from the interview with Der Spiegel published on Friday, where he said Iran is still open to negotiations with America if sanctions are lifted. 

"@realdonaldtrump is better advised to base his foreign policy comments & decisions on facts, rather than @FoxNews headlines or his Farsi translators," Zarif said in the tweet with the interview excerpt. 

Meanwhile on Saturday, Ali Asghar Zarean, a special assistant to the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), said Iran is capable to enrich uranium at "whatever level of purity." 

"Right now, if the (Islamic) establishment deems necessary, the AEOI has the capability to enrich uranium at whatever percentage of purity", Zarean said. 

There has been growing friction between the two since Trump pulled the United States out of Iran's nuclear pact with world powers in 2018 and reimposed sanctions that have driven down Iran's oil exports and hammered its economy. 

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(With input from agencies)