Aug 27, 2019

Iran's president open to talks with U.S. but not a "photo-op" for Trump

Photo: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (L) and U.S. President Trump Photo: Jim Watson/Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty Images

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says he's open to meeting with President Trump, but only if crippling U.S. sanctions are lifted first, reports AP.

Why it matters: The statement comes a day after French President Emmanuel Macron said at the G7 that he plans to arrange a meeting between the two leaders in the coming weeks. Rouhani yesterday expressed interest in meeting Trump, but returned today to the insistence that the U.S. remove its crippling economic sanctions if it wants to de-escalate tensions.

"If someone intends to make it as just a photo op with Rouhani, that is not possible. If I knew that going to a meeting and visiting a person would help my country’s development and resolve the problems of the people, I would not miss it"
— Rouhani

The big picture: At his press conference with Macron, Trump said there's a "good chance"' he and Rouhani would meet soon, but didn't mention lifting sanctions. His "maximum pressure" Iran policy has received international criticism as European countries work to salvage the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal.

What's next: If Trump and Rouhani do meet, it'll be the first face-to-face meeting between an Iranian and American president since the Iran hostage crisis nearly 40 years ago, per the New York Times. Barack Obama spoke with Rouhani by phone in 2013.

Go deeper

Axios
Updated 7 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 3 p.m. ET: 6,325,303 — Total deaths: 377,460 — Total recoveries — 2,727,679 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 3 p.m. ET: 1,820,523 — Total deaths: 105,644 — Total recoveries: 458,231 — Total tested: 17,340,682 — Map.
  3. 2020: N.C. governor says GOP should plan for a "scaled-down convention."
  4. Public health: Protests against police brutality threaten coronavirus response — Controlling the virus in nursing homes won't be easy.
  5. Business: More than 1 in 6 black workers lost jobs between February and April.
  6. Media: Interest in the George Floyd protests has soared past the coronavirus.
Other resources (<1 min. read)Arrow
Rebecca Falconer
Updated 2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Updates: George Floyd protests nationwide

Police officers wearing riot gear push back demonstrators outside of the White House on Monday. Photo: Jose Luis Magana/AFP via Getty Images

Protests over the death of George Floyd and other police-related killings of black people continued across the U.S., inciting a federal response from President Trump, the National Guard, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.

The latest: Immigration agents have been deployed to assist federal, state and local law enforcement. The U.S. Secret Service closed the streets immediately on all four sides of the White House Tuesday, until "riots become peaceful, or stop."

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow
Miriam Kramer
2 hours ago - Science

NASA passes the torch

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

With the historic crewed SpaceX launch last weekend, NASA passed the torch to private companies that will need to step up to build the economy the space agency envisions in orbit.

Why it matters: This new era of spaceflight will likely be marked by new conflicts — possibly including product placement (like the Tesla that drove the astronauts to the pad on Saturday), safety concerns and cultural differences between companies, the space agencies and people they serve.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow