Iran: Rouhani-Trump meeting will not happen

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will not be meeting US President Donald Trump, state media said today.

Trump had hinted he would meet Iranian officials on the sidelines of the United Nations summit, but backtracked on the comments, claiming the reports were “fake news”.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said: “Neither is such a plan on our agenda nor will such a thing happen.”

Mousavi went on to accuse the US of “economic terrorism” and demanded it return to the terms of the carefully negotiated 2015 nuclear deal.

This comes after a major attack on two facilities belonging to Saudi oil giant Aramco.

Smoke billows from Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia after drone strikes set fire to the major oil facilities. Captured by a Planet Dove satellite today, September 14, 2019. pic.twitter.com/ioEYKFPHHo

— Planet (@planet) September 14, 2019

Oil prices have rocketed since the attack, leaping up 20 per cent to over $71 per barrel at one point during the day.

The US has hinted it would be ready to attack Iran, with President Trump saying America is “locked and loaded” depending on verification for Saudi Arabia as to who the culprit was.

Saudi’s de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman has also claimed Saudi is “willing and able” to respond to the attacks.

READ: America’s Middle East policy blunders lead inevitably to failure 

Although Yemen’s Houthi militia claimed responsibility for the attack, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has claimed there is no evidence of this, and said the attacks came from the north-west of Saudi, rather than the south, where Yemen is.

He said on Twitter: “Amid all the calls for de-escalation, Iran has now launched an unprecedented attack on the world’s energy supply. ”

Tehran is behind nearly 100 attacks on Saudi Arabia while Rouhani and Zarif pretend to engage in diplomacy. Amid all the calls for de-escalation, Iran has now launched an unprecedented attack on the world’s energy supply. There is no evidence the attacks came from Yemen.

— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) September 14, 2019

Iran has denied any involvement in the attacks.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Mousavi responded: “Such fruitless and blind accusations and remarks are incomprehensible and meaningless.”

Tensions between Iran and America have been high since the US unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear deal, and imposed harsh sanctions on Tehran.