Nuclear standoff: Iran President Rohwani rules out ‘photo op’ with Donald Trump, says US must first end sanctions

Top Iranian officials all but ruled out talks with the United States, a day after President Donald Trump extended his most expansive offer yet to the Islamic Republic. The US must lift sanctions on Iran if it wants to negotiate, President Hassan Rowhani said on Tuesday. His foreign minister, Javad Zarif, said during a visit to China and Japan that “a meeting between Iran’s president and Trump is unimaginable”. Zarif made a surprise appearance this week on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Biarritz, France. The reaction sets out the challenges facing Trump after he signalled he could meet with Rowhani and perhaps ease restrictions so Tehran can use some of its oil wealth to access credit. At a news conference before heading back to Washington from the G7 gathering on Monday, Trump said he’d meet Rowhani “if the circumstances were correct or were right” to discuss their standoff over the 2015 nuclear deal that the US president abandoned. But Rowhani said he was not just looking for photo opportunities. “We are interested in solving problems in a reasonable way, but we’re not interested in taking photos,” Rowhani said in a televised speech to officials in Tehran. Donald Trump says first lady Melania has ‘gotten to know Kim Jong-un’ even though they’ve never met “The key to changing the relationship is in Washington’s hands.” It was a U-turn from Rowhani, who on Monday in a televised speech in Iran said he was open to talks. “If I knew that going to a meeting and visiting a person would help my country’s development and resolve the problems of the people, I would not miss it,” he said, in an apparent reference to Trump. Trump’s offer echoed his outreach to North Korea. That gesture resulted in three meetings with leader Kim Jong-un but no breakthrough deal. Unlike Kim, Rowhani confronts a complex political landscape at home, with Iranians disappointed with an economy that’s sputtering under the weight of US sanctions, especially on its oil exports, and senior politicians often divided over whether to engage with Washington. Rowhani would need approval to enter talks from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, who so far hasn’t signalled a willingness to engage with the US. The American president’s top aides, including US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, have argued that Khamenei, not Rowhani or Zarif, must address US demands if a lasting deal is to be struck. Iran appears to outplay US in tanker saga, sells 2.1 million barrels of oil to unnamed buyer Trump imposed harsh sanctions on Iran after unilaterally abandoning the nuclear deal last year, an approach that has helped fuel inflation and undermined domestic support for Rowhani’s government. The US says it wants new talks to address Iran’s missile programme and its support for militant groups in the Middle East. Tensions have spiked in recent months, with Trump saying he called off military strikes on Iran at the last minute in July following Tehran’s downing of an unmanned American drone over the Persian Gulf. The US has blamed Iran for being behind a spate of attacks on oil tankers. Iran has also detained a UK ship in apparent retaliation for the British seizure of an Iranian tanker, which has since been released. Iran has also withdrawn from some of its nuclear commitments under the 2015 accord and pledged further steps unless European nations step up their efforts to boost its economy. The 2015 deal between Iran and six world powers, reached under former US president Barack Obama, aimed to curb Iran’s disputed uranium enrichment programme in exchange for the lifting of many international sanctions on Tehran. Images reveal Iran is preparing for a third attempted satellite launch despite heavy US criticism Iran has ruled out talks with Washington over its military capabilities, particularly its ballistic missile programme that it says is defensive. It denies the missiles are capable of being tipped with nuclear warheads and says its nuclear programme is peaceful. Rowhani said seeking nuclear bomb weapons was banned under a fatwa issued by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, referring to a religious decree issued in the early 2000s by Iran’s top authority that bans the development or use of nuclear weapons. Trump and Rouhani are both due to attend the United Nations General Assembly in September. However, any meeting between Trump and Rouhani would have to be approved by Iran’s utmost authority Khamenei, who has the last say on all state matters. Additional reporting by Reuters and The Washington Post