President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday that relations between Iran and the United States will only see a positive development when Americans end all their sanctions on Tehran.
"Unless the first step, which is the lifting of wrong and cruel sanctions against the Iranian nation, is taken by you [the US], this lock will not be open," he was quoted as saying by his website.
Tehran and Washington have been stuck in a standoff over the 2015 nuclear deal since US President Donald Trump pulled his country out of the accord last year and reimposed sweeping sanctions on Iranian economy.
Trump argued that the deal was flawed and had to be renegotiated to place more limits on Iran's activities, including its missile program and regional policies.
Iran refuses to enter into talks under pressure and has declared repeatedly that its defensive power is not negotiable. It has also reacted to the hostile measures by reducing its commitment to the pact, formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
European leaders have struggled to calm the deepening confrontation between Tehran and Washington, with French President Emmanuel Macron spending the summer trying to create conditions that would help bring the two sides back to the negotiating table.
In a recent meeting with Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Paris ahead of last weekend's G7 summit, Macron presented a proposal to either soften sanctions on Iran or provide a compensation mechanism in return for Tehran's full compliance with the pact.
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