Iran says no talks with U.S. 'under any circumstances'
CGTN
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Iran will not hold talks with the U.S. "under any circumstances" while the rights of the Islamic republic are not respected, said an official quoted Thursday by state media.
"We have said clearly... as long as the rights of our nation are not satisfied, as long as words don't change into action, our path will stay the same as now," said Keyvan Khosravi, spokesperson for the Supreme National Security Council.
"There will be no talks under any circumstances," he was quoted as saying by the news agency IRNA.
An Iranian navy submarine sails during an Iranian navy drill in the Gulf of Oman, February 23, 2019. /VCG Photo

An Iranian navy submarine sails during an Iranian navy drill in the Gulf of Oman, February 23, 2019. /VCG Photo

Khosravi said there had been an uptick in official delegations traveling to Tehran from various capitals, although "most of them are coming on behalf of America."
"Without exception, we have responded with the message of the Iranian nation's strength, reason, and resistance" in line with the policies of the Islamic republic, he added.
Oman's Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi arrived in Tehran on Monday followed by the German foreign ministry's political director Jens Plotner on Thursday.
Oman played a crucial role in bringing Iranian and U.S. negotiators together for preliminary talks that ultimately led to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal with major powers including the United States.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media as he departs the White House for a rally in Pennsylvania, May 20, 2019. /VCG Photo

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media as he departs the White House for a rally in Pennsylvania, May 20, 2019. /VCG Photo

But U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal in May 2018 and reimposed sanctions that had been lifted in exchange for Iran scaling back its nuclear program.
With tensions between the two sides already high, there has been a dramatic escalation in recent weeks after the U.S. labeled Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a "foreign terrorist organization."
The U.S. also deployed a naval carrier group and B-52 bombers to the Middle East over unspecified alleged Iranian "threats."
Iran, in turn, rolled back parts of its commitments within the nuclear deal and gave an ultimatum to the remaining sides that more would follow if they did not provide relief from sanctions.
(Cover: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (C) speaks during a government meeting in the Iranian capital of Tehran, May 14, 2019. /VCG Photo)
Source(s): AFP