Trump Asked 8 Times to Meet Rouhani in NY, Rouhani Rejected them All

Local Editor

During a visit to New York for a United Nations General Assembly meeting in September 2017, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani received eight requests from his US counterpart Donald Trump for a meeting, the Iranian president's chief of staff said.

A top Iranian official added that Iran rejected the eight requests.

The requests, which would have brought Trump together with Rouhani, reportedly came during the United Nations General Assembly in 2017, the New York Times reported.

"Trump asked the Iranian delegation eight times to have a meeting with the president," Rouhani’s chief of staff, Mahmoud Vaezi, said on Wednesday. 

Though Iranian officials previously said Trump tried to meet with Rouhani during the General Assembly, they have not revealed the number of times Iran rebuffed the US president. 

Trump in May withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal, which limited Tehran's nuclear ability in exchange for lifting international oil and financial sanctions.

Iran on Tuesday sued the United States in international court, requesting an annulment of the restored US sanctions.

Though Trump has repeatedly denounced Iran and former President Obama's nuclear deal, he has sought to deal directly with Iranian leaders as he did with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the Times reported.

"We have a transparent policy and clear position with regard to our relations with the US," Vaezi said.

"The characteristic of this establishment and people is that they will not yield to pressure. Trump should know that Iran and its people are different from North Korea and its people."

White House and State Department officials did not immediately respond to the Times.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team