Iranian FM said to land Obama handshake
Iran news agency reports president and Zarif met in an unplanned corridor encounter at the UN
An Iranian news agency said US President Barack Obama and Iran’s foreign minister shook hands when they ran into one another on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday.
Tuesday’s report by the official IRNA agency quoted an unnamed diplomatic official as saying Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif came upon Obama “accidentally” and the two shook hands.
US officials were not immediately available for comment.
If confirmed, it would be the first handshake between an American president and Iran’s top diplomat since the 1979 Islamic Revolution ousted a pro-Western monarchy in Iran. The two countries have had no diplomatic relations since then.
Obama criticized Iran in his speech to the General Assembly on Monday, the Islamic Republic to stop backing “violent proxies” and fueling sectarian conflict.
Obama hailed a July 14 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers as a triumph of diplomacy that potentially averted war, but also called on Tehran to overhaul its foreign policy outlook and seek peace rather than foment violence.
“Chanting ‘Death to America’ does not create jobs or make Iran more secure,” he said.
Monday was the first time the two leaders were in the same venue since the signing of the deal, which ended a 13-year standoff over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.
Two years ago, the possibility of a handshake between Obama and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani at the annual gathering had sparked much speculation. It ended up not taking place.
In the end, the two spoke over the phone as Rouhani was leaving New York and heading to the airport.
The White House said on Thursday that the two did not plan to meet this year.
“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.