Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran will not bow to pressure by the United States to dismantle its nuclear programme.

“They (the US) say you must dismantle everything you have, but no free human being will bow to oppression and injustice”, he said on Tuesday in a televised speech.

On Tuesday, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters that the US maximum pressure campaign against Iran remains in “full force” despite US efforts to reach a new nuclear deal with Iran.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that a directive came down last week from White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt to pause all new sanctions activity toward Iran.

President Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign was stuck running in place, the Wall Street Journal said, citing a source close to the White House.