Iran dismisses prospect of talks with Trump at UN
Iran has dismissed any prospect of talks with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the ongoing 74th UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, until Washington stops its campaign of "maximum pressure" on Tehran.
Speaking at the Iranian mission to the UN in New York, Tehran's Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told the Independent newspaper on Sunday that "maximum pressure" from the US has produced "maximum resistance" from Iran, and that Tehran will continue to resist, reports the state-run IRNA news agency.
He said "to get real negotiations started, this economic war has to end", in reference to the US sanctions.
"And to end this economic war, we first need a ceasefire in order to do real negotiations and find sustainable solutions," Araghchi added.
"Not only us, but no country will negotiate under pressure."
Araghchi however, suggested that Iran's President Hassan Rouhani would be willing to meet Trump in a multilateral setting if the US returned to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal, which it exited in 2018.
"If Trump returns to the JCPOA, we will again negotiate with the US in the format of a P5+1 meeting," he said.
Araghchi's remarks come after Trump said earlier on Sunday that he had no plans to meet Iranian Rouhani during the UNGA.
"Nothing is ever off the table completely, but I have no intention of meeting with Iran," Trump told reporters at the White House.
On Saturday, the US announced that it was sending more troops to Saudi Arabia in the wake of the September 14 drone attacks on a major oil field and a petroleum processing facility in the Kingdom.
The Yemeni Houthi rebels said they had carried out the attacks. But both the US and Saudi Arabia said Iran was behind them. Tehran has strongly denied their claim.
In reaction to the US announcement, Rouhani on Sunday warned that foreign forces were threatening the security of the Gulf. He called the deployment of such forces in the past a "disaster" and told them to "stay away".
ALSO READ | At UN General Assembly, Iran and US historically at odds
ALSO READ | Stay out of Gulf, Iran warns US against sending troops to Saudi Arabia
