“TALKS are useless” with a United States that “does not accept logic,” Iranian President Hassan Rouhani declared today in a speech marking the launch of a surface-to-air missile.

“Now that our enemies do not accept logic we cannot respond with logic. When the enemy launches a missile against us, we cannot say ‘Mr Rocket, please do not hit our country and our innocent people’,” he said.

Tension between Tehran and Washington has risen since President Donald Trump tore up the 2015 agreement on nuclear development that Iran had negotiated with the US, the EU, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China.

The US has since slapped harsh sanctions on Iran and a week ago tried unsuccessfully to stop Gibraltar releasing an Iranian oil tanker seized by Britain’s navy, reportedly on US orders.

But the communist Tudeh Party of Iran warned that confrontational rhetoric “could easily trigger a devastating war.”

International secretary Navid Shomali told the Morning Star Mr Rouhani’s statement was “unnecessary sabre-rattling.

“The US drive to ensure its full dominance in the region as part of the ‘America First’ policy has created a very dangerous situation by further militarising the Persian Gulf.

“The diplomatic route must not be blocked under any circumstances.

“However, so far [US National Security Adviser] John Bolton’s bellicose stance towards Iran seems to be driving the US approach.”

He said the Tudeh Party’s highest priority was to mobilise to prevent military conflict by building the Iranian peace movement and for international progressive forces to campaign to halt the drift towards war.