WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said he had refused a request by Tehran to lift sanctions in exchange for talks, contradicting Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who earlier on Friday said the United States had offered to lift restrictions to facilitate a meeting.
"Iran wanted me to lift the sanctions imposed on them in order to meet. I said, of course, NO!" Trump tweeted.
Rouhani has said on Friday that European leaders at the UN General Assemby in the US said Washington was ready to lift sanctions in exchange for talks on a 2015 nuclear deal.
"The German chancellor, the UK prime minister and France's president were there (in New York). They insisted that this meeting happen, and that America, too, is saying that it will lift the sanctions," Rouhani said on state television.
"The next issue was over what sanctions will be lifted," he said. "They insisted that we will lift all sanctions."
On Friday, US President Donald Trump confirmed such an offer was never made.
Tensions have escalated between Iran and the United States since May last year when Trump pulled out of the landmark 2015 nuclear accord and began reimposing sanctions that have crippled the Iranian economy.
The deal's remaining partners include UK, China, France, Germany and Russia.
