Araqchi made the remarks in an exclusive interview with Iran Newspaper, which was published on Thursday.

Early last month, U.S. President Donald Trump restored his “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran, which he initially launched against the country in 2018 when he withdrew Washington from the Iran deal. Trump, who is now serving his second term, has also spoken of his willingness to negotiate a new deal with Iran.

The top diplomat said in the interview that Iran’s entering negotiations while the “maximum pressure” exists would mark a weak position, and “we will not have any achievement.”

“It is not a matter of stubbornness or seeking ideals. This is an expert issue. It should be proved to the other side that the pressure policy is ineffective so that we can come to the negotiating table in equal conditions,” said Araqchi.

He also said that Iran’s “strategy of patience” is not based on “passive patience”, rather is accompanied with taking initiatives.

“We do not have a passive policy at all to sit and look what decisions they make for us,” the top diplomat said, adding that Iran has made planning for possible nuclear negotiations, including those with Europe.

According to Araqchi, Iran will continue negotiations with Europe, and consultations with Russia and China as well.

At the end, he emphasized, the U.S. should remove sanctions against Iran, but “we will enter direct negotiations when we are in equal conditions, free from pressure and threat, and when we are sure that our people’s national interests are served.”