If US wants talks, it must lift sanctions: Rouhani

Tehran unveils three new precision-guided missiles

FE Team | Published: August 07, 2019 00:28:05

TEHRAN: A handout picture released by Iran's Defence Ministry on Tuesday showing the missiles "Ghaem" (bottom), and "Yasin" (top) during an unveiling ceremony in the capital Tehran — AFP

TEHRAN, Aug 06 (Agencies): Iran's president has reiterated that if Washington wants to open negotiations with Tehran, it must lift all sanctions against his country "before everything else."
Iranian state TV says President Hassan Rouhani made the comments during a meeting with Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Tuesday.
Rouhani also reiterated that America's sanctions on his country are an act of "economic terrorism."
Tensions have escalated since President Donald Trump withdrew last year from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers and imposed new and harsher sanctions on Iran's oil and banking sectors.
The U.S administration last week also announced financial sanctions on Zarif, after Trump last month imposed similar measures on Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei. The sanctions are seen as part of a US maximum pressure campaign on Iran.
Meanwhile, Iran unveiled three precision-guided missiles on Tuesday, with the defence minister saying they show the country is ready to defend itself in the face of US "viciousness and conspiracies". The new line-up of air-to-air missiles dubbed the "Yasin", "Balaban" and a new series of the "Ghaem" were developed jointly by the ministry and Sa Iran, also known as Iran Electronics Industries.