TEHRAN – The Islamic Republic on Monday refused the prospect of any talks with the United States, suggesting President Donald Trump could possibly in the future decide to call Tehran for talks.

The remarks by Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi came after Trump last week said that with the United States increasing sanctions on Iran, “at a certain point they’re going to call me and say ‘let’s make a deal,’ and we’ll make a deal.”

Speaking at a weekly press conference, Qassemi said: “I do not know if he (Trump) was serious or just joking, but there is the possibility maybe that someday he calls Tehran and asks for negotiations. I think this would be more likely and there have been signs to that in the past. It depends who they will call.”

“The behavior of America and the Trump administration from the beginning of his tenure has been inimical toward the Islamic Republic of Iran, just like in the past, maybe even with some extra force. And such inimical behavior is still witnessed in various forms,” Qassemi said, underlining that Iran finds no grounds for talks with Washington.

On Trump’s threats to prevent Iran’s oil sale, the spokesman said: “Trump has spoken a lot, and speaks a lot, and has a lot of fantasies and dreams a lot of dreams. But this claim, or this effort, to halt Iran’s oil exports or to reduce it to zero, is bragging and impractical. Past experience has on many occasions in fact proven this that such a thing is not possible in the world today.”

‘We don’t have any message for Trump via Mr. Putin’ 

Elsewhere in his statements, Qassemi rejected speculation that Iran has taken Russian President Vladimir Putin as mediator to carry messages to Israel in last week’s separate meetings of representatives of the two sides with the Russian leader.

“We don’t have any message for Trump via Mr. Putin. If anywhere or on any occasion there has been talks or something has been written and conveyed, it think it is speculation. The meeting between Mr. Putin and Mr. Trump had been previously arranged and they have issues or their own; and we have not had relations with the Russian government on that topic.”

On how Tehran will pursue the future of the nuclear deal with European signatories, he said, “We surely cannot predicate our economy and our country and the government of our country on the decisions of the remaining parties to the JCPOA. Ultimately time was given to work more on this package so that they could through their efforts meet Iran’s expectations. We are looking forward in the coming days and the coming weeks to being able to see a package or some proposals that could satisfy Iran in all of the fields that we discussed during the negotiations and which matter to us. Hoping we could arrive at a fair mutual understanding.”

Qassemi also lashed out at ant-Iran media barrage, saying, “The heavy barrage of a psychological war against the Islamic Republic of Iran is well underway which is performed in various forms. We should be aware of this inimical and targeted policy of America, alongside the Zionist regime and some inimical regional countries. If we want to make a list of false reports and accusations during even this past month, I think there will be a lengthy list which is in the end baseless and … aimed at weakening the Islamic Republic of Iran and creating schism in Iran’s relations with other countries. We are quite vigilant to use the tools we have to lay waste the plans they are following.”

SP/PA