Iran slams 'psychological warfare' as US reimposes sanctions

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani dismissed a US call for talks, hours before Washington reimposed new sanctions in line with President Donald Trump's decision to pull out of a 2015 agreement over Iran's nuclear programme.

کد خبر: ۸۲۳۱۹۶

تاریخ: ۱۶ مرداد ۱۳۹۷ - ۱۰:۲۶

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday that Washington's call for new nuclear negotiations at the same time as it reimposed crippling sanctions "doesn't make sense" and is an attempt at "psychological warfare".

The first of two rounds of US sanctions kicked in at 12:01 am (0431 GMT), targeting Iran's access to US banknotes and key industries, including cars and carpets.

Last week, US President Donald Trump said that he was ready to hold talks with his Iranian counterpart Rouhani without preconditions to discuss how to improve relations.

Washington has said the only way Iran could avert the sanctions would be to agree to new negotiations to abandon its missile and nuclear programmes.

In a televised address, Rouhani said there could be no talks as long as Washington was reneging on the deal.

"If you're an enemy and you stab the other person with a knife and then you say you want negotiations, then the first thing you have to do is remove the knife," he said in an interview on state television.

It was his first response to Trump's offer of talks on a new deal to replace a 2015 pact he abandoned in May, and came as Iran braces for the return of sweeping US sanctions on Tuesday.

"They want to launch psychological warfare against the Iranian nation and create divisions among the people," Rouhani said.

He referred to fears that essential supplies such as medicines would be affected when sanctions return.

"Negotiations with sanctions doesn't make sense. They are imposing sanctions on Iranian children, patients and the nation," he added.

He said Iran had "always welcomed negotiations" but that Washington would first have to demonstrate it can be trusted.

Rouhani implied that if the United States signed up again to the nuclear deal and lifted sanctions, then that could pave the ground for negotiations.

"We are always in favor of diplomacy and talks... But talks need honesty," Rouhani said.

"How do they show they are trustworthy? By returning to the JCPOA," he said, using the technical name for the 2015 nuclear deal.

"Trump's call for direct talks is only for domestic consumption in America ahead of elections...and to create chaos in Iran," he added.