Trump: I have no plans to meet Rouhani, maybe another time

Just hours before his speech at the United Nations, Donald Trump, the President of the United States, announced in a tweet on Tuesday morning, October 3, that he has no plans to meet with his Iranian counterpart. This morning tweet can be seen as Trump's official response to comments made by Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, who stated in an interview with NBC on Monday that he rejected a meeting with Mr. Trump. In the exclusive interview with NBC, Rouhani emphasized that Iran cannot be compared to North Korea, reiterating, 'I have no plans to meet Trump.' Rouhani's reference, who is currently in New York, pertains to Trump's meeting with the North Korean leader, which occurred after months of threats and disputes between the two sides. In the NBC Nightly News interview, Rouhani stated, 'The North Korean model is not a correct model [for Iran],... but there are other models that can be applied.' One of the preconditions Rouhani set for starting talks between Iran and the U.S. is compensating for the 'damages' inflicted on Iran due to the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA. In a tweet posted on Tuesday morning, the U.S. President wrote: 'Despite requests, I have no plans to meet with Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran. Perhaps another day in the future. I am sure he is a very nice guy!' It is unclear what Trump meant by 'requests': did the Iranian President request a meeting, or was he referring to the U.S. government's request for a meeting with the Iranian President? Last month, Trump stated for the first time that he was willing to meet with Rouhani 'without any preconditions,' a proposal that was met with a negative response from the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. Following this proposal, Trump commented in mid-September that 'whether they want to talk or not depends on them, not on me. I will always be available, but it doesn't matter if it happens or not.' He then responded to the question of whether he might meet with Hassan Rouhani, his Iranian counterpart, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, saying: 'It is possible. Anything is possible. We will see.' The UN General Assembly begins today, and the U.S. President will be one of the first speakers. Rouhani's speech is scheduled for late in the assembly and in the evening hours on Tuesday, Iran time. In May of this year, Trump withdrew the U.S. from the JCPOA and in mid-August reinstated the first round of suspended sanctions against Iran. He has stated that instead of the JCPOA, he seeks a comprehensive agreement with Iran that includes its nuclear program, missile program, and Tehran's role in the region. The pressures from the U.S. in recent months and the return of its sanctions against Tehran, along with internal mismanagement, have severely impacted Iran's national currency and economy.