Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has called for "maximum wisdom" to be applied to relations between Washington and Tehran, instead of the "maximum pressure" policy that US President Donald Trump has reverted to.
He signed a memorandum on Tuesday committing the US to pursue the policy against Iran, which he first established during his first term in office and that included economic sanctions. The memorandum said the move was aimed at pushing its oil exports to “zero".
"So-called maximum pressure is a failed experience. Repeating that will only yet again compel 'maximum resistance," Mr Araghchi said on X. "Smart people ought to choose 'maximum wisdom' instead."
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has played down the effect of sanctions on his country. "America threatens new sanctions, but Iran is a powerful and resource-rich country that can navigate challenges by managing its resources," he said during a televised ceremony.
Mr Pezeshkian later urged Opec members to show united opposition against possible US sanctions on Iran, one of the world's major oil producers. "I believe that if Opec members are united and work together, the US would not be able to sanction and pressure one of them," he told Opec Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais during a meeting in Tehran, according to state media.
As part of the initial "maximum pressure" move during his first term, Mr Trump withdrew the US from the nuclear deal signed by Iran and world powers. But on Wednesday, after reinstating the policy, he called for a "verified nuclear peace agreement" with Tehran and said work on a new deal should begin "immediately".
"I want Iran to be a great and successful country, but one that cannot have a nuclear weapon," he said in a post on his Truth Social platform. "We should start working on it [the agreement] immediately and have a big Middle East celebration when it is signed and completed."
Mr Araghchi repeated that Tehran was not seeking to develop nuclear weapons. "Iran will not have nuclear weapons, provided that objective guarantees are also provided that hostile measures against Iran – including economic pressures and sanctions – will be effectively terminated," he added.
