TEHRAN, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf stressed on Sunday that his country would not wait for any letter from the United States to lift Western sanctions.
Speaking at an open session of parliament in Tehran, Qalibaf dismissed U.S. President Donald Trump's claim of having sent a letter inviting Iran to negotiate its nuclear program, according to the ICANA news agency of the Iranian parliament.
Qalibaf said Trump's call was merely a "deception" aimed at disarming Iran and that no negotiation would lead to the removal of sanctions on Iran if conducted under threats.
"It is now clearer than ever that sanctions can be lifted by strengthening Iran and neutralizing the embargoes. Therefore, we will not wait for any letter from the United States," he said.
In an interview with Fox Business Network broadcast Friday, Trump said he wants to negotiate the nuclear issue with Iran and had sent a letter to the country's leadership.
Iran's permanent mission to the United Nations in New York said on Friday the country had not yet received such a letter.
Iran signed a nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with six world powers in July 2015, accepting restrictions on its nuclear program in exchange for lifting sanctions.
However, during Trump's first term of office, the United States withdrew from the agreement in May 2018 and reinstated the sanctions, prompting Iran to scale back some of its nuclear commitments.
Efforts to revive the JCPOA have not achieved substantial progress. Iranian officials have repeatedly stressed that the country would not negotiate with the United States under pressure and sanctions. ■
