Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei announced that talks with the USA "do not lift the sanctions" directed against Iran.
"If the goal is to lift the sanctions, then negotiations with this American government will not result in the sanctions being lifted", said Khamenei at a meeting with students in Tehran.
The letter from Washington was conveyed to Iran via a diplomat from the United Arab Emirates.
During Trump's previous presidential term, he terminated the agreement on Iran's nuclear energy program, which also included leading European countries as parties to the agreement. Iran responded by also withdrawing from the agreement, and has since intensified its nuclear energy program, which can lead to the country gaining access to nuclear weapons.
Khamenei also took the opportunity to warn the USA.
America threatens with military interventions, but in my opinion, the threat is irrational. Iran is capable of responding with a retaliatory strike – and so we will do, said Khamenei earlier on Wednesday.
