Iran will not wait for any letter from the U.S. to neuter the sanctions

Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf says Iran will not wait for any letter from the United States in order to neuter the existing sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

Qalibaf made the remark at the start of an open session by Parliament on Sunday, two days after U.S. President Donald Trump said that he had sent a letter to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, demanding negotiations be re-opened.

Trump made the announcement a month after he restored a campaign of “maximum pressure” against Iran, which he had initially launched during his first term as president. Part of the campaign is aimed at a complete halt to Iran’s oil exports.  

The speaker said that it has already been proved to the dignified Iranian nation that the sanctions can only be neutralized through further strengthening Iran, adding that no negotiation would lead to the lifting of the sanctions when accompanied by threats and an agenda for imposing new concessions.

“We do not wait for any letter from the U.S., and we believe that, by using internal capacities and opportunities for developing foreign relations, we can achieve a position that the enemy has no choice but to lift the sanctions within the framework of negotiations with the remaining parties to the JCPOA,” Qalibaf said in reference to the Iran nuclear deal, officially named the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), from which the U.S. withdrew in 2018 under Trump. 

Qalibaf added that the U.S. president's behavior with other countries shows that his demand for re-opening negotiations is merely a deceitful measure aimed at disarming Iran.

On Saturday, Ayatollah Khamenei told Iranian government officials that calls for negotiations by “bullying” powers are not aimed at resolving issues; rather, they are an attempt to impose their demands on the Islamic Republic.

Later that day, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi also said Iran had not yet received any letter from the United States.