Iranians decline Obama-Rouhani encounter

US officials offered to hold informal talks between President Barack Obama and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, but the Iranian delegation declined, DPA has reported.

Senior administration officials told reporters travelling with Obama on Tuesday that the White House had offered œan encounter” with Rouhani, but the Iranians said it was œtoo complicated for Iranians to do at this point,” DPA added.

œThe Iranians have an internal dynamic that they have to manage and the relationship with the United States is clearly quite different than the relationship that Iran has with other Western nations,” a senior administration official said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Tehran said there were no plans for a meeting between President Rouhani and his American counterpart Barack Obama at the UN General Assembly.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham told reporters in Tehran in her weekly press briefing that œSuch a meeting is not on the agenda.”

“The right situation must present itself for this meeting. Our assessment is that it has not been presented yet,” Afkham said.

US Secretary of State John Kerry along with the foreign ministers of Russia, China, UK, France and Germany will discuss Iran™s nuclear program with their Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif on Thursday in New York.

DB/DB

Copyright: Press TV