Iran refuses talks with Trump unless US shows ‘respect’

TIL Desk/World/Tehran/ Iranian Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, has said that his country won’t negotiate with US President Donald Trump unless Washington shows Tehran “respect” by honouring its commitments under the disputed nuclear deal.

In an exclusive interview on Tuesday, Zarif warned that the US was “playing a very, very dangerous game” by boosting its military presence in the region.

The Minister’s remark comes after Trump in a series of tweets on Sunday asked Iran “never to threaten” the US and warned Tehran that if it wants a fight, it would be “the official end” of the Islamic nation.

“Iran never negotiates with coercion. You cannot threaten any Iranian and expect them to engage. The way to do it is through respect, not through threats,” the Minister said. Zarif said there “will be painful consequences if there is an escalation”, but added that Iran was “not interested in escalation”.