The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is open to meeting Iranian officials during the United Nations General Assembly in New York, but no such meeting has been scheduled, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
Rubio said Washington would welcome a meeting if it could create an opportunity for diplomatic progress and advance the U.S. objective of preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
“We are certainly open to something like that,” Rubio said in an interview with NBC.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has arrived in New York, while the Trump administration has authorized a senior Iranian delegation to attend the UN General Assembly. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is also expected to be part of the delegation.
However, no meeting between U.S. and Iranian officials has been confirmed so far.
The United States and Iran remain at odds, with previous diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving their disputes having failed to produce a lasting agreement.
Iran’s nuclear program remains one of the central issues in relations between Washington and Tehran. Rubio’s remarks nevertheless leave open the possibility of renewed diplomatic contacts during the UN General Assembly.
