SpaceWar.com reports: “Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Saturday his country will not back down from ‘threats’ made by U.S. President Donald Trump, although he also favors continued negotiations between the two nations.

‘We are not seeking war, we favor negotiation and dialogue, but we are not afraid of threats either, and we will in no way retreat from our legal rights,’ Pezeshkian told a group of gathered naval officers in the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas Saturday.

Pezeshkian did not elaborate on what threats he was referring to.

Earlier in the week, U.S. officials imposed a new round of sanctions targeting Iran and an alleged oil smuggling network.

The Trump administration is continuing to negotiate a new nuclear weapons deal with Tehran to curb Iran’s uranium enrichment program. The latest round of talks in the Omani capital of Muscat last week were described by Iranian official as ‘difficult but useful.’

No further talks have been publicly announced…”