ANKARA 

Iran said Monday that a letter sent by US President Donald Trump to Tehran mirrors his public statements and will be responded to through “appropriate channels.”

"We have no reason to publicize Trump's message at this time,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told a news briefing.

“Media reports about this message are mostly speculative. The content of the message is not far removed from Trump's public speeches and repeats the same talking points,” he added.

The spokesman said Iran will respond to Trump’s letter after scrutiny.

"Our response will be provided through the appropriate channels once the assessment is complete," he added.

Trump’s letter was delivered to Tehran on Wednesday by Anwar Gargash, a diplomatic adviser to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) president.

Last week, Trump said that he sent a letter to Iran’s leadership to negotiate a nuclear deal.

"I said I hope you're going to negotiate because it's going to be a lot better for Iran," he said, before warning Tehran of potential military action.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, for his part, denounced what he called “bullying tactics” after Trump’s threats.

"The insistence of some bullying powers on holding talks with Iran does not aim to solve issues but rather aims to assert and impose their own expectations,” said Khamenei. "Absolutely, the Islamic Republic will not accept their expectations."

In 2018, Trump unilaterally withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions on Tehran.

Despite complying with the nuclear agreement for over a year after the US withdrawal, Iran gradually reduced its commitments, citing the failure of the deal’s remaining signatories to protect its interests.