Saturday , 4 May 2024

Iran: Rouhani will not meet Trump at UN General Assembly

Al-Arabia – Iran said on Monday there would be no meeting between Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his US counterpart Donald Trump at the United Nations, Iranian state television reported, after the White House on Sunday left open the possibility of a potential meeting.

“Neither is such an event (Trump-Rouhani meeting in New York) on our agenda, nor will it happen. Such a meeting will not take place,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said in remarks carried by state TV. Tehran has repeatedly rejected such a meeting.

Iran earlier condemned as “unacceptable” US accusations it was behind an attack on Saudi oil plants, after the US said it was “locked and loaded” for a potential response. The strikes were claimed by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels.

“Stopping all sanctions is an indispensable precondition for constructive diplomacy. We hold meetings when we are sure that our people’s problems can be solved,” government spokesman Ali Rabiei said, according to the semi-official news agency Tasnim.

“Sanctions must be lifted, and the US must respect the Iranian nation,” Rabiei said.

White House adviser Kellyanne Conway said on Sunday the previous day’s attacks “did not help” prospects for a meeting between the two leaders during the United Nations General Assembly this month, but she left open the possibility a meeting could take place.
 

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