As the letter exchange between US President Barack Obama and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani raised hope for a possible meeting between two leaders, the White House said there is no such plan at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Spokesperson Jay Carney replied as “There is no such plan,” to a question about possible meeting between the two leaders. Carney said that Obama believes in diplomacy regarding Iran, added, “We hope Iran can take that chance. We heard that Iranian President wants to increase ties between his country and international community. Obama believes that we should test that and we will.”
Obama sent a letter to Iran's new president Rouhani during the Syrian crisis that further deteriorated due to Damascus' attack on civilians with chemical weapons, a step that Obama declared as a red line for Washington.
During a televised interview, Obama stated that he had exchanged letters with Rouhani and he believed that Rouhani has the potential to come to compromise for the Iranian nuclear program in a diplomatic way. The West accuses Tehran of developing nuclear bombs with its nuclear program. Iran rejects those accusations and insists its problem is peaceful.
There is no face-to-face contact between a US and an Iranian leader after the 1979 revolution.
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