Trump Prepared to Meet with Iranian President 'With No Preconditions'
JERUSALEM, Israel - US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday that President Donald Trump is willing to meet with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani with no preconditions at the United Nations General Assembly later this month.
"He is prepared to meet with no preconditions," Pompeo said while addressing reporters at a news briefing in the White House Tuesday.
Pompeo was there speaking alongside Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.
Reuters reports that Pompeo made the comments while speaking about the administration's plans to unveil new sanctions on groups including Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Both Trump and Rouhani are scheduled to attend the UN meeting in New York in late September. However, Rouhani is not interested in talks with the US until the country's crippling economic sanctions have been lifted.
Pompeo's comments came little more than an hour after President Donald Trump announced he had fired National Security Advisor John Bolton. Trump said he "disagreed strongly" with Bolton but did not clarify what topics he specifically disagreed with his advisor about.
Iran's state media reported that Bolton's dismissal is a "clear sign that the US maximum pressure strategy has failed."
Iranian Government Spokesperson Ali Rabiei also said the US will better "understand the realities of Iran" with Bolton gone. Bolton took a hardline stance against the Iranian regime and advocated for maximum pressure.
Mnuchin said Tuesday the administration will continue its "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran in Bolton's absence to prevent the Islamic Republic from developing its nuclear weapons program.