Iran foreign minister says U.S. should respect Iran if it wants to negotiate - TV

Iran will never succumb to U.S. pressure and if Washington wants talks with Tehran it should show respect, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Monday. "Iran will never yield to pressure from the United States ... America should try to respect Iran ... if they want to talk to Iran, they should show respect," Zarif said in a speech broadcast live on state TV.

Tension between Tehran and Washington have risen sharply in recent weeks, a year after Washington exited the 2015 deal between Iran and world powers to curb Tehran's nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of international financial sanctions. Trump has called for talks with Iran's clerical rulers with "no preconditions". Tehran has ruled this out, saying Trump should return to the deal if he wants to negotiate with Iran.

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