
Iran said on Monday that a letter it received from US president Donald Trump, who has called for striking a nuclear deal with the Islamic republic, echoed his public statements.
鈥楾he content of the letter is not far removed from Trump鈥檚 public statements and repeats the same talking points,鈥� foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told a news conference in Tehran.
鈥極ur response will be provided through the appropriate channels once the assessment is complete,鈥� he added.
The letter 鈥� which Trump said was addressed to Iran鈥檚 supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei 鈥� was delivered to Tehran last Wednesday by senior United Arab Emirates diplomat Anwar Gargash.
On the same day, Khamenei effectively ruled out holding talks with the United States.
He said the proposed negotiations 鈥榳ill not lift sanctions鈥� but will instead 鈥榤ake the sanctions knot tighter鈥�.
Trump, who returned to the White House for a second term in January, has reinstated his 鈥榤aximum pressure鈥� policy of sanctions against Iran, mirroring his approach during his first term.
The US approach is aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring an atomic bomb 鈥� something the Islamic republic denies it wants.