Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 17
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
Iranian government's spokesman, Mohammad Baqer Nobakht says that any possible meeting between Iranian president Hassan Rouhani and his American counterpart Barack Obama is not scheduled yet.
Nobakht said that Rouhani will visit New York to attend the 69th Annual Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly next week however, no plan is set yet for meeting with Obama, Iran's Fars news agency reported Sept. 17.
Speculation about the possible talks between the two sides in particular has been mounting because the counterparts spoke by phone last year in September on the sidelines of the annual UN General Assembly.
The phone conversation was the first direct communication in decades between the heads of state of the two countries.
Iranian conservatives severely criticized Rouhani on the issue. For instance, commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari called Rouhani`s phone conversation with his U.S. counterpart, a tactical mistake.
Extremist groups held protests against Rouhani, upon his return to Tehran from New York. The protesters threw shoes at Rouhani.
The country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei said he supports the developments which occurred during Rouhani's New York visit, adding that "some issues were not very suitable."
Some Iranian media outlets and in particular the radical Keyhan newspaper, claimed that foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif has confessed that Rouhani's phone call with his counterpart Barack Obama were subject to Khamenei's criticism.
However, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham criticized the media for publishing untrue information.