Washington: The White House on Saturday denied that any deal had been reached for one-on-one nuclear talks with Iran, as the New York Times reported, and said it was still working on a “diplomatic solution.”
“It’s not true that the United States and Iran have agreed to one-on-one talks or any meeting after the American elections,” National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said in a statement.
Vietor said Washington would continue to work with global powers on a “diplomatic solution” to the nuclear standoff with Tehran. The US “said from the outset that we would be prepared to meet bilaterally”, he added.
Earlier, the New York Times — citing unnamed officials in the administration of President Barack Obama — reported that the United States and Iran had agreed to one-on-one negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program.
The agreement was the result of secret talks between the two sides, the report said, adding that Iran had insisted that the negotiations not begin until after the US presidential election on November 6.
The Iranians want to hold off until they know who the next US president will be, the report said.
Vietor said Obama “has made clear that he will prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and we will do what we must to achieve that.
“It has always been our goal for sanctions to pressure Iran to come in line with its obligations. The onus is on the Iranians to do so, otherwise they will continue to face crippling sanctions and increased pressure,” he added.
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