Denying Tehran ever requested to negotiate with Washington, a member of the influential Commission of National Security and Foreign Policy of Majles (Iranian parliament) says the Islamic Republic's authorities believe that Donald Trump "is not worth talking to".

"Not only we do not want to negotiate with the U.S., but, we also believe that Trump is not worth talking to since he is a president who, against all international principles, has not implemented the UN resolutions," Alaeddin Boroujerdi told the state-run Iran Students News Agency (ISNA) on Wednesday, January 9.

President Trump dropped the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers last May and reimposed sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

Meanwhile, according to ISNA, responding to the U.S. Secretary of State's recent comments about more pressure, Boroujerdi maintained, "The whole world knows that Washington's aim is exerting pressure on the people of Iran to frustrate and force them to react. By doing so, the Americans are disturbing our society's peace."

Nevertheless, since President Trump's decision to drop JCPOA, several U.S. officials, including Secretary Mike Pompeo, have repeatedly insisted that U.S. sanctions are not targeting the people of Iran, instead their aim is forcing the Islamic establishment to change its behavior.

The sanctions cover Iran's banking, energy, financial and shipping sectors.
At the start of a Middle East tour on Tuesday, January 8, Mike Pompeo said that the Trump administration is doubling down on commercial and diplomatic efforts in the coming weeks to "put real pressure on Iran".

Pompeo is scheduled to meet U.S. allies in the region, including stops in Jordan, Egypt and several Persian Gulf nations, to coordinate an anti-Islamic Republic campaign.