Iran reacts to Trump’s ‘ready for meeting’ remark (Image source: AP)
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has dismissed the possibility of a meeting between Iran’s supreme leader and US President Donald Trump, describing such speculation as unrealistic amid ongoing tensions between the two countries.His remarks came after US President Donald Trump suggested that a meeting with Iran’s supreme leader could take place in the future if circumstances allowed.‘Live in the real world’: Araghchi respondsAraghchi played down Trump’s comments about a potential meeting with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, as per Al Jazeera report.”I saw a report which apparently said that he (Trump) had stated that he was ready for a meeting or that he wanted to hold a meeting. I think we should be realistic and think and live in the real world,” Araghchi said.Trump earlier suggested meeting with KhameneiEarlier, Trump said Tehran had agreed to halt its pursuit of nuclear weapons and suggested that a meeting with Khamenei could happen at some stage.The US president also said he had not yet had “the privilege of meeting” Khamenei, adding: “I’d like to meet him. We probably will meet at some point, depending on how it all works out.” The conflict, which followed joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, has contributed to volatility in global energy markets and drawn increasing scrutiny within the United States.Where is Mojtaba Khamenei?US state secretary Marco Rubio said he “believes” Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei is alive and is becoming “increasingly engaging” in leadership matters.While addressing the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, Rubio said that Khamenei has not been seen or heard directly and suggested that concerns over the safety of senior figures within Iran’s leadership may be influencing that decision.“I think there are indications, we have not heard from him publicly. We have not seen him publicly. And I would imagine that what’s happened to multiple leaders in that system, being very public, is probably not something that’s recommended for them internally.
