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Hassan Rouhani: War with Iran is 'Mother of All Wars'

06 August 2019 10:26 (UTC +04:00)

"A possible war against Iran is "a mother of all wars", while peace with Tehran is "the mother of all peace", Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in a speech broadcast live on state-run TV on Tuesday, APA reports.

Rouhani also reiterated Tehran's readiness to sit down with Washington if it scraps all the sanctions against Iran.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran favors talks and negotiations and, if the US really wants to talk, before anything else it should lift all sanctions”, he underscored.

“We are always ready for negotiation. I tell you this hour and this moment to abandon bullying and lift the sanctions and return to logic and wisdom. We are ready", Rouhani pointed out

He added that Iran had shifted its approach from “strategic patience” to “reciprocal action” and would respond in kind to any of Washington’s steps related to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The statement comes a few weeks after Rouhani signaled Iran’s willingness to hold negotiations with the US.

Tensions between the US and Iran have been escalating since 8 May 2018, when President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew his country from the JCPOA and imposed several rounds of economic sanctions on Iran.