A top Iranian official on Wednesday claimed Iran rejected eight requests to meet with President Trump last year.
The meeting requests, which would have brought Trump together with Iranian president Hassan Rouhani, reportedly came during the United Nations General Assembly in 2017, the New York Times reported.
“Trump asked the Iranian delegation eight times to have a meeting with the president,” Rouhani’s chief of staff, Mahmoud Vaezi, said on Wednesday. {mosads}
Though Iranian officials have previously said Trump tried to meet with Rouhani during the General Assembly, they have not revealed the number of times Iran rebuffed the U.S. president.
Trump in May withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal, which limited Tehran’s nuclear ability in exchange for lifting international oil and financial sanctions. America’s departure left Iran vulnerable to reinstated sanctions.
Iran on Tuesday sued the United States in international court, requesting an annulment of the restored U.S. sanctions, which have already hurt Iran’s economy, the Times reported.
Though Trump has repeatedly denounced Iran and former President Obama’s nuclear deal, he has sought to deal directly with Iranian leaders as he did with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the Times reported.
“We have a transparent policy and clear position with regard to our relations with the U.S.,” Vaezi said. “The characteristic of this establishment and people is that they will not yield to pressure. Trump should know that Iran and its people are different from North Korea and its people.”
White House and State Department officials did not immediately respond to the Times.