WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is ready to meet his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rohani without preconditions while maintaining "maximum pressure" on Tehran, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Tuesday.

"Now the president has made clear, he is happy to take a meeting with no preconditions, but we are maintaining the maximum pressure campaign," Mnuchin said, just days after Iran said it had fired up centrifuges to boost its enriched uranium stockpiles.

Tensions have been escalating between Iran and the United States since May last year when Trump pulled out of the 2015 nuclear accord with Tehran and began reimposing sanctions that have crippled the Iranian economy. — AFP