Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi on Friday rejected as "ridiculous" claims attributed to the US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, that President Hassan Rouhani had asked for a bilateral meeting with his American counterpart Donald Trump.
Speaking to IRNA, Qassemi referred to the report as part of a media campaign, adding that “our memory is filled with such campaigns.” He reiterated 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 expressed his willingness to meet Rouhani at the time and place of the latter’s choosing.
Rouhani will leave for New York Monday to attend the UN General Assembly, but it is not yet clear whether he would attend the Security Council meeting.
Haley claimed earlier that Trump may consider accepting an Iranian invitation for a bilateral meeting with Rouhani.
Iran, however, has declared there will be no point in a meeting between the two presidents after Trump's controversial decision to unilaterally withdraw from the multilateral 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 said on August 15. Iran and the US do not have diplomatic relations for 40 years.
“Now, the US is standing on the other side," wondering how to cross, Rouhani noted. “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 despite his repeated threats of imposing the “strongest sanctions in history” against Iran.
