US warns of continued maximum pressure if Iran spurns deal

The US will maintain its maximum pressure campaign on Iran if Tehran refuses to reach an agreement, a State Department spokesperson told Iran International, after Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei ruled out the possibility of negotiations with Washington.

"If the Iranian regime does not want a deal, the President is clear, Iran will remain under the restored maximum pressure campaign," the spokesperson said.

"President Trump has been clear that the United States is committed to preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and expressed his willingness to discuss a deal with Iran," the spokesperson added.

Khamenei dismissed the prospect of talks with the United States on Saturday in his first public speech after President Donald Trump said he sent a letter to him.

"The insistence of some bullying governments on negotiations is not aimed at resolving issues but rather at asserting dominance and imposing their demands," Khamenei said in a meeting with Iranian officials in Tehran.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran will certainly not accept their demands," he added.

His comments followed Trump’s revelation that he had sent Khamenei a letter offering negotiations on Iran's nuclear program while warning that military intervention was the alternative.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday Tehran has not yet received Trump's letter to Khamenei.

Trump warned on Friday that the situation with Iran had reached a critical stage, adding that he preferred to reach a deal over Tehran's nuclear program than turn to military force.