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Iran - Raisi: No meeting with Biden in New York

Greater Middle East (bbabo.net), - Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi ruled out meeting US President Joe Biden during this week's UN General Assembly summit, where the Iranian leader will address world leaders gathered in New York under sanctions US and protests in Iran. This was reported by the news portal Al-Monitor on September 20.

Raisi will speak at UN headquarters in New York this week as indirect talks between Washington and Tehran aimed at reviving the "nuclear deal" stalled and a deal is not expected to be revived before the November midterm elections in the United States.

“No,” Raisi said when asked if he would consider meeting with Biden. I don't think such a meeting will take place. I don't believe meeting or talking with him will be helpful."

Raisi told CBS's 60 Minutes, "The new administration in the US is saying they are different from the Trump administration. But we don't see any real change."

Both Raisi and Biden are expected to address the General Assembly on Wednesday. Analysts say the Iranian president will use his presence on the world stage to blame the United States for derailing nuclear talks and to protest what he calls "tyrannical" sanctions imposed on Iran when former President Donald Trump backed out of the deal in 2018.

Accompanying the Iranian delegation on the Iranian delegation are Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and Ali Bagheri Kani, the country's chief negotiator in the talks on restoring the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The Iranian negotiating team refuses to meet directly with US officials and has instead relied on proxies for more than a year and a half of nuclear talks. On Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani "left the door open" to nuclear talks on the sidelines of the summit, telling reporters he did not "rule out the possibility" of such meetings with "non-US signatories."

Iran - Raisi: No meeting with Biden in New York