WASHINGTON: The US will continue with its policy of harsh sanctions on Iran in an effort to bring Tehran to the negotiating table, US Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook said on Friday. Hook added that the door remains open for a wider negotiation with Iran about its nuclear program and other issues but so far talks have been limited to prisoner releases. “(President Donald Trump) has had the door open to diplomacy for many years and in the same time frame, he has met (North Korean leader) Kim Jong Un three times. So, we would like to see the (Iranian) regime meet our diplomacy with diplomacy,” he told reporters one day after Iran freed US citizen Michael White. Hook also said that the number of US citizens released from wrongful imprisonment will continue to grow.