‘Meeting with US officials not on Rohani’s agenda’

Senior Iranian Foreign Ministry official said on Tuesday no meeting with the US officials is on the agenda of President Hassan Rohani’s visit to New York where he is to attend the United Nations General Assembly meeting.

According to IRNA, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham made the remarks during her weekly press conference while she was commenting on possible meeting between Iranian President and US officials on the sidelines of the UN annual meeting which is to begin on September 22.
However, she added, “If the trend of work with the 5+1 group reaches a point which requires holding such a meeting, then it would take place within that framework.”
Referring to the UN General Assembly as a major international event, Afkham said it is a “unique incident” which takes place every year.
Commenting on lifting the imposed sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) by the European Court of Justice, she said removing those sanctions “is a judicial and legal procedure which should be followed up so that it could lead to a conclusion.”
Meanwhile, Afkham said Foreign Minister Mohammad-Javad Zarif is to meet British Foreign Secretary William Hague on the sidelines of the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in New York.
She added Foreign Minister Zarif and not President Hassan Rohani is to meet Hague on the sidelines of the UN annual meeting which is to begin on September 22
Also, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said the letter by the US President Barack Obama to President Hassan Rohani was sent to congratulate him for his election as Iran’s new president.
She said the letter was delivered to President Rohani via diplomatic channels existing between Iran and the US.
According to Afkham, President Rohani sent a thank you letter to his American counterpart and mentioned some points in the letter.