United States special envoy for Iran Brian Hook stated on Monday that Washington is prepared to restore ties with Tehran, even lift sanctions against it, if a new deal is reached with the Islamic Republic. For that purpose, he added, US President Donald Trump is willing to "sit down" with representatives of Iran, but underscored that so far, there is no "diplomatic backchannel" with the Middle Eastern country.
Speaking ahead of the announcement of new US sanctions against Iran, the diplomat explained that the punitive measures are reducing Iran's military spending. Additionally, "economic mismanagement" is also weakening Iran's proxies, however, Tehran is still able to conduct attacks, he warned.
