Takhteh-Ravanchi Dismisses Possibility of Rouhani-Trump Meeting in New York

Majid Takht-Ravanchi, the political deputy of the Iranian President's office, rejected the possibility of a meeting between Hassan Rouhani and Donald Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, stating that the conditions for meeting and negotiating with the Americans are not in place. This diplomat, who also played a role in Iran's nuclear negotiations with world powers, described the U.S. President's proposal for negotiations with Iranian leaders as merely a political 'gesture' and stated that this proposal is 'not serious.' Donald Trump announced his readiness to meet with Iranian leaders during a joint press conference with the Italian Prime Minister on August 8, claiming that he has 'no conditions' for such a meeting. However, Iran's official reaction to this proposal has been negative. The Iranian Foreign Ministry announced the following day that 'negotiation has conditions and requirements, and so far there has been no sign of that in Mr. Trump's words and actions.' Takht-Ravanchi criticized Trump's proposal from a similar perspective, stating, 'Mr. Trump is not serious in his talk about negotiating with Iran. If he were serious, he would not have withdrawn from an agreement that his own government signed three months ago. It is true that governments change, but the policies of a country cannot change with each government; otherwise, nothing would hold together.' He then responded to a question about the possibility of a meeting between Rouhani and Trump in New York, saying, 'I don't think such an event will happen. We should not create false expectations for the people. When people's expectations rise and nothing happens, they become upset. In any case, I personally do not see the grounds for negotiation. Everything requires a foundation, and currently, that foundation is not in place.' Donald Trump, who has always opposed the nuclear agreement with world powers and described the Vienna agreement as weak, withdrew Washington from this agreement in May of this year, leading to the resumption of sanctions against Tehran. The first round of these sanctions began on August 7, targeting metal trade, Iran's access to U.S. dollars, and industries such as automotive. However, the second round of sanctions, which will begin in November, will be more severe and will target Iran's oil exports and banking transactions with Tehran. Takht-Ravanchi also referred to the second round of sanctions as the most important sanctions and reported that the Iranian President has sent messages regarding this to neighboring oil-rich countries. He did not mention the content of Rouhani's message but emphasized that if the sanctions on Iran's oil sales affect the oil market, OPEC member countries 'have no right' to increase their production. Previously, Hassan Rouhani stated that it makes no sense for Iran to be unable to export oil while oil from the region is being exported. These remarks were interpreted as a threat to close the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most important oil passage. Some Iranian military officials have also repeated threats to close the Strait of Hormuz.