Iran denies report of request for meeting with Trump
Iran’s foreign ministry has categorically rejected "ridiculous" media reports that the country had requested a meeting with US President Donald Trump.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi on Friday dismissed as "ridiculous" claims attributed to US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had asked for a bilateral meeting with Trump.
Speaking to IRNA, Qassemi referred to the report as part of a media campaign launched by certain circles in a naïve attempt to distort realities on the ground.
“Our memory is filled with such campaigns,” Qassemi noted, reiterating that Iran has never called for a meeting with the US president.
His comments came as Trump is set to chair a UN Security Council meeting next week on Iran and other issues, and has already expressed his willingness to meet his Iranian counterpart in that meeting.
Rouhani will leave Tehran for New York in the coming days to attend the UN General Assembly, but has no plan to attend the UN Security Council meeting.
Haley claimed earlier that Trump may consider accepting an Iranian invitation for a bilateral meeting with President Rouhani.
Iran, however, has declared there will be no point in a meeting between the two presidents after Trump's decision to unilaterally withdraw from the multi-national nuclear deal in May.
Last month, Rouhani dismissed Washington’s offer of talks, saying the US had burned its bridges for negotiations with Tehran.
“The US itself has acted in such a way that has destroyed the circumstances required for negotiations. It has burned its bridges," he noted on August 15.
“Now, the US is standing on the other side," wondering how to cross, the president noted, adding, “If it is honest, it should fix that bridge again.”
The US president said on July 30 that he is ready to meet his Iranian counterpart “any time they want to,” adding, “No preconditions. If they want to meet, I’ll meet.”
Trump’s call for talks with Rouhani comes as he has vowed to impose the “strongest sanctions in history” against Iran unless the country fulfills a list of demands.
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