White House Denies Trump's Proposal for Meeting with Hassan Rouhani

On Monday, November 8, the White House spokesperson rejected Tehran's claim that Donald Trump, the President of the United States, requested a meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani. Bahram Qasemi, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, claimed on Sunday that Hassan Rouhani had rejected Trump's request for a meeting and discussion on the sidelines of the annual United Nations General Assembly. In response to a note in the Fars news agency regarding Rouhani's rejection of Trump's meeting request, he stated that 'such a desire was expressed by the American side but was not approved by the President of Iran.' Now, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House spokesperson, said in a brief email sent to NBC News that this report is 'incorrect.' Ms. Sanders did not provide further explanation. The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson reiterated this claim during a weekly press conference on Monday, stating, 'Some individuals close to Mr. Trump had this request and expressed his desire to meet with Rouhani.' These remarks come at a time when Donald Trump has consistently taken a hardline stance against Iran, notably criticizing the policies of the Islamic Republic during his opening speech at the UN General Assembly. On September 19, he stated, 'We must not allow the criminal regime of Iran to continue its destabilizing actions.' Trump added, 'Instead of using the country's resources to improve the lives of the Iranian people, its oil revenues are spent on Hezbollah and other terrorist groups that kill innocent Muslims and attack peaceful Arab and Israeli neighbors.' The U.S. President also refused to certify Tehran's compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on October 13, announcing a new strategy regarding Iran. The last contact between the Presidents of the U.S. and Iran dates back to 2013 when Barack Obama and Hassan Rouhani spoke by phone in New York, an unprecedented event since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979. However, senior diplomats from both countries have met multiple times within the framework of negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 group to resolve Tehran's nuclear program. These negotiations ultimately resulted in a comprehensive agreement in July 2015, where both parties agreed to suspend many of Iran's nuclear activities while simultaneously lifting international sanctions.