Iran has kept the door open to negotiations with the incoming Donald Trump administration, while warning the US president-elect that any attempt to reimpose “maximum pressure” on the Islamic republic would fail to extract concessions.

Republicans are split over how aggressive the next Trump administration should be toward Tehran as the president-elect pursues an America-first foreign policy.

The last time Donald Trump was US president it spelled disaster for Iran — he walked away from a landmark nuclear deal, derailed the country’s economy with sanctions and killed its most revered general.