Iran says Trump letter mirrors his statements

TEHRAN

Iran said on Monday that a letter it received from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has called for striking a nuclear deal with the Islamic republic, echoed his public statements.

"The content of the letter is not far removed from Trump's public statements and repeats the same talking points," foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told a news conference in Tehran.

"Our response will be provided through the appropriate channels once the assessment is complete," he added.

The letter - which Trump said was addressed to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei - was delivered to Tehran last Wednesday by senior United Arab Emirates diplomat Anwar Gargash.

On the same day, Khamenei effectively ruled out holding talks with the United States.

He said the proposed negotiations "will not lift sanctions" but will instead "make the sanctions knot tighter".

Trump, who returned to the White House for a second term in January, has reinstated his "maximum pressure" policy of sanctions against Iran, mirroring his approach during his first term.

The U.S. approach is aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring an atomic bomb - something the Islamic republic denies it wants.

Iran's deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, will meet U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi at the agency's headquarters in Vienna on Monday, the foreign ministry said.

Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the meeting with the International Atomic Energy Agency was "part of our ongoing engagement with the agency".

The meeting in the Austrian capital comes after Gharibabadi took part in talks with his Russian and Chinese counterparts in Beijing on Friday.

"As threats against Iran's peaceful nuclear facilities have increased, it is natural for us to intensify consultations with the IAEA," Baqaei said.