Iran denies meeting request with U.S. president at UN meeting

Iran's Foreign Ministry on Friday denied that the Islamic republic has offered a meeting proposal between the U.S. President Donald Trump and his Iranian counterpart on the sidelines of an upcoming UN meeting in New York.

Ambassadors Iran, Palestine, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia to UN address media before Security Council meeting on Situation in Middle East including Palestinian question at United Nations Headquarters on September 20, 2018. [Photo: IC]

The news about "a request from the Iranian side to meet the U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting is absurd," Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Baharm Qasemi, said.

Such news is aimed at creating a "psychological climate" and it is denied, Qasemi said.

On Thursday, a Western report claimed that the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had asked for a bilateral meeting with Trump.

Iranian Foreign Ministry on Monday ruled out the possibility of negotiations with the United States over the enduring thorny issues in the near future.

Iran has hinted that it might negotiate with the United States if the latter returns to the nuclear deal.

Besides, Tehran has stressed that it will not re-enter the talks with Washington under the spell of anti-Iran sanctions.

Trump has voiced readiness to meet with Iran's leadership over the persisting issues between the two countries.

However, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said last month that the Islamic republic would not hold new negotiations with the United States.