Iran Has Never Requested for Any Meeting with Trump: Spokesman
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi dismissed as ridiculous recent claims on the Islamic Republic’s possible request for a meeting between President Hassan Rouhani and his US counterpart, Donald Trump.
In remarks released on Friday, Qassemi rejected US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley’s remarks that Trump would consider accepting an Iranian invitation for a bilateral meeting with President Rouhani and said such ridiculous claims are made to create a psychological atmosphere against Iran.
Such remarks are the fabrication of news and part of a propaganda campaign by “certain circles that clumsily (try to) distort the facts”, he said.
“I reiterate that the Islamic Republic of Iran has never requested for any meeting with Mr. Trump,” the spokesman noted.
In a press briefing on Thursday, Haley said Trump, who will chair a UN Security Council meeting next week, would consider accepting an Iranian invitation for a bilateral meeting with President Rouhani.
"Certainly, if Rouhani requested a meeting, that would be for the president to decide whether he wants to do that," Haley told reporters.
The comments come as Trump has voiced willingness to meet with Iran's leadership, without preconditions, "whenever they want."
"I would certainly meet with Iran if they wanted to meet," Trump said at the White House on July 30.
Back in May, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei decried both the previous and current US administrations for reneging on their promises and threatening the Islamic Republic, saying that’s why Iran does not negotiate and interact with the US.
On May 8, Trump pulled his country out of the nuclear deal with Iran known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was achieved in 2015 after years of negotiations between Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany).