US President Barack Obama speaks to his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani, on September 27, 2013, marking the first time the two countries' leaders had engaged each other since 1979. (Pete Souza via White House Twitter page)
WASHINGTON — US President Barack Obama has no plans to meet Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani during the UN General Assembly next week in New York, the White House said Thursday.
“We currently do not have any plans for a meeting with President Rouhani and we are really not expecting one,” said Ben Rhodes, a senior Obama foreign policy aide.
The UN General Assembly will mark the first time the two leaders will be in the same venue since the July 14 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers — Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States and Germany — ended a 13-year standoff over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.
Two years ago, the possibility of a handshake between Obama and Rouhani at the annual gathering had sparked much speculation. It ended up not taking place.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks during a press conference in Tehran, Iran, August 29, 2015. (AP/Ebrahim Noroozi)
In the end, the two presidents spoke over the phone once the General Assembly was over, in a first contact at that level between the United States and Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
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The phone call took place as Rouhani was leaving New York and heading to the airport.
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