Iran rules out meeting Trump unless sanctions are lifted 

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has ruled out any possible talks with his counterpart, President Donald Trump and demanded that sanction be lifted before making any deal with the Americans over the nuclear deal.

“Without the US’s withdrawal from sanctions, we will not witness any positive development,” said Rouhani. During the televised address today he added that it was Washington who “holds the key”. He went on to say that he would not take part in a meeting that would be nothing more than a photo opportunity for Trump.

“Iran is seeking a resolution to the problems through reasonable means rather than taking photos,” Rouhani said. “If [Trump] just wants to take photo with Hassan Rouhani that would not be possible.”

Yesterday both Trump and Rouhani expressed their readiness to negotiate a way out of the crises which ensued last year after Trump unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear deal signed in 2015 by his predecessor Barack Obama.

READ: Iran slams US’s ‘bullying behaviour’ on nuclear deal

Known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Iran nuclear deal was signed by the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council—China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States—plus Germany, together with the European Union.

Despite assurances from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that Iran was holding up its end of nuclear deal, the US and Israel accused Tehran of not being fully transparent with the international organisation.

On May 2018 Trump unilaterally pulled out of the deal and ordered new sanctions. Tehran accused the US of waging an economic war against the country as the four other signatories scrambled to save the deal.

A face to face meeting between Iran and the US appeared to be in the offing after French President Emmanuel Macron offered to broker a meeting during this weekend’s G7 summit. During a joint press conference yesterday the President of France seemed optimistic in being able to strike a deal. He revealed he had a telephone conversation with Rouhani who he said was open to meeting the US president. Trump also seemed open to the idea. “If the circumstances were correct I would certainly agree” to meet Rouhani, he said.

READ: Trump accuses France’s Macron of sending ‘mixed signals’ to Iran