TEHRAN, December 4. /TASS/. Iran is ready to start negotiations with the US in an hour if Washington lifts sanctions against Tehran, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday.

"We say to the whole world: Iran is ready for negotiations. [If] US President [Donald Trump] lifts sanctions, then we will start negotiations within an hour," the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) quoted him as saying. However, Rouhani noted that Washington insists, "first negotiations need to be held, then the sanctions could be lifted."

He added that "for 41 years Iran has been under sanctions, but the pressure has reached the boiling point over the last two years." "All the efforts of our government are directed at minimizing the risks connected to this," the president noted.

The problem of the Iranian nuclear dossier sharply deteriorated after Washington’s unilateral withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on May 8, 2018, and the introduction of American economic sanctions against Iran’s oil exports. US President Donald Trump repeatedly said that he is ready for dialogue with Tehran. He said that he is interested in replacing the existing JCPOA with another treaty which would include both Iran’s nuclear program and a wide range of issues, including Tehran’s missile program and its regional policy.