Meeting with Rouhani possible at UN assembly: Trump

Beyza Binnur Donmez

ANKARA (AA) - U.S. President Donald Trump signaled on Wednesday for a possible meeting with his Iranian counterpart at the upcoming UN General Assembly in New York.

Asked whether it is possible to meet with Hassan Rouhani, Trump told reporters: "Sure, anything is possible."

"They would like to be able to solve their problem. They've got a big problem," Trump said, referring to Iran's financial ordeal due to the high inflation.

"We could solve it in 24 hours," he added.

Last week, Iran rejected the possibility of any negotiations between Tehran and Washington, saying talks would only resume on condition of lifting U.S. sanctions and the latter's return to 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

"Tehran will give Europe an additional two months to salvage the agreement," Rouhani said on Wednesday, while a $15 billion loan by EU remains on table, which is aiming to protect Iran's economy from U.S. sanctions.

Iran is demanding the European countries that were part of the deal to protect Tehran after the U.S.'s May 2018 withdrawal from the nuclear deal.

To protect the deal, France, Britain, and Germany formed a mechanism that assists and reassures economic operators pursuing legitimate business with Iran.

The 74th session of the UN General Assembly will open on Sept. 17.