President of the United States Donald Trump has dismissed earlier media reports that he was ready to meet with the Iranian leadership without any preliminary conditions, Tass reports.
US Trump says not ready to meet with Iranian leadership without preliminary conditions
STEPANAKERT, SEPTEMBER 16, ARTSAKHPRESS: "The Fake News is saying that I am willing to meet with Iran, ‘No Conditions’," the US president stated in his Twitter account. "That is an incorrect statement (as usual!)."
Last week, the US president hinted on a possibility of meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani within the frames of political debates at the UN General Assembly in late September.
US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin stated last Tuesday that Trump was ready to meet with the Iranian leadership without preliminary conditions, but was still solid with his stance on exerting maximum pressure on Tehran.
Bloomberg news agency reported last Wednesday citing its unnamed sources close to the situation that Trump discussed on September 9 a possibility of easing sanctions in regard to Iran in order to secure a meeting with Rouhani in late September, while former National Security Advisor John Bolton sternly opposed a possibility of such development of events.
US Treasury Secretary Mnuchin said in an interview with US television channel CNBC last Thursday that a meeting of Trump with Rouhani in New York was not yet on the agenda.
French President Emmanuel Macron said in late August he believed it was necessary for Trump and Rouhani to hold a meeting as it "could help stop tensions form rising." The US president said in response that he was ready to meet with his Iranian counterpart "if the circumstances were correct."
