US, Iran deny direct talks report

Dubai: The White House has not agreed to direct one-on-one talks with Iran’s government over its nuclear programme, even as it remains open to such negotiations, National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said.

Responding to a New York Times report, Vietor also said there was no deal to meet with Iranian officials after the November 6 US presidential election. Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi also said there are no plans for direct talks.

“It’s not true that the United States and Iran have agreed to one-on-one talks or any meeting after the American election,” Vietor said.

“We don’t have any discussions or negotiations with America,” Salehi said. “The [nuclear] talks are ongoing with the P5+1 group of nations. Other than that, we have no discussions with the United States.”