Foreign Ministry: No Plans for Meeting Between Zarif and Tillerson

In denial of some reports regarding a possible meeting between the foreign ministers of Iran and the United States in New York, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced on Friday that there are "no plans" for a meeting between Mohammad Javad Zarif and Rex Tillerson. Bahram Qasemi, the spokesperson, stated in an interview with the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) that there is neither a scheduled meeting for Zarif with his American counterpart in New York nor has the U.S. made such a request. Earlier, Agence France-Presse cited several "diplomats" at the United Nations headquarters in New York, saying that "it is expected" that Zarif and Tillerson would meet for the "first time." However, Qasemi emphasized: "No plans have been made for such a meeting, and as far as I know, no such request has been made." The Iranian Foreign Minister is set to travel to New York next week alongside President Hassan Rouhani as part of a high-ranking delegation to participate in the annual United Nations General Assembly. It is expected that, similar to last year, a meeting regarding the Iran nuclear agreement with the 5+1 group, known as the JCPOA, will also take place on the sidelines of this assembly. Given that foreign ministers from all countries involved in this assembly will be present, there is a possibility that the nuclear meeting will be held at the ministerial level. This seems to have fueled speculation about a meeting between Zarif and Tillerson, with AFP even announcing the day of this meeting as next Wednesday. On the other hand, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, while denying a meeting between the Iranian and American foreign ministers, stated that Zarif is scheduled to meet with "members of the 5+1 and Federica Mogherini." Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, is part of the 5+1 group alongside the foreign ministers of China, Russia, Germany, France, the UK, and the United States. This raises ambiguity regarding the planning or lack thereof for a meeting between the two high-ranking officials from Iran and the U.S. It is possible that the two officials may meet face-to-face without "planning." According to Bahram Qasemi, a ministerial-level meeting regarding the JCPOA "has not yet been confirmed," and if this meeting does not take place, a meeting of the JCPOA commission at the deputy foreign ministers' level will be held. Abbas Araghchi and Majid Takht-Ravanchi, two of Zarif's deputies, will participate in this meeting. The high-ranking Iranian delegation is traveling to New York at a time when the Trump administration in the U.S. insists that the Islamic Republic is undermining the "spirit of the nuclear agreement" with its actions, including missile tests. This point was reiterated by Mr. Trump on Thursday, who warned that the U.S. would not tolerate such actions. Meanwhile, the U.S. Treasury Department also imposed sanctions on Thursday against 11 entities and individuals to counter the IRGC's missile program, the Quds Force's activities outside Iran, and cyberattacks against the United States. In response to these new sanctions, Iran's representative at the United Nations told the official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) that "any type of sanctions is contrary to the principle of diplomacy and dialogue and will not help advance matters." Gholamali Khoshroo, Iran's representative, stated: "Every time it comes time to extend the suspension of sanctions, the Americans add individuals to the sanctions list for baseless reasons to show Congress and the American people that they have tough positions, claiming that these are non-nuclear sanctions." The 72nd United Nations General Assembly will commence on Tuesday, September 19, with the participation of leaders from most countries around the world and will continue until October 1.