NBC: White House Denies Iran’s President Rouhani Snubbed Trump
TEHRAN, Iran — The White House on Monday denied the Iranian government's claim that President Donald Trump asked to meet with his counterpart from the Islamic republic last month but was turned down.
According to Iran's semi-official Fars news agency, Trump requested a meeting Iranian President Hassan Rouhani after giving a speech to the United Nations condemning Iran as a "murderous regime" focused on the "pursuit of death and destruction."
Bahram Ghassemi, a spokesman for Iran's foreign ministry, told a press conference Sunday that the report carried by Fars earlier in the day was correct.
"Indeed a request was made by the American side but it was not accepted by President Rouhani," Ghassemi said.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told NBC News in a brief email early Monday that this statement was "false."
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WNU Editor: The Iranian claim is here .... President Rouhani turned down meeting with Trump (Tehran Times). More here .... Iran Says Rohani Turned Down Meeting With Trump (RFE). I am skeptical of the Iranian claim. These type of high-level meetings are always planned months in advance .... and in the case of a conflict between two countries (which in this case there is a conflict between the U.S. and Iran) .... it will be coordinated through a third party. So why the Iranian claim .... either it was a misunderstanding lost in translation, or someone in Iran wanted to make a point to a domestic audience.