President Obama, Iran’s Foreign Minister Shake Hands at UN

“Quotes saying the meeting was predetermined are completely false”, the source said, Iran ‘s official IRNA news agency reported September 29.

A White House official, speaking on grounds of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak publicly, confirmed Tuesday that “there was a brief interaction at the luncheon, where they shook hands”.

Obama criticized Iran in his speech to the General Assembly on Monday, the Islamic Republic to stop backing “violent proxies” and fueling sectarian conflict.

Three USA citizens are imprisoned in Iran while another is missing. While the two counties do not have diplomatic relations, there is increased speculation that a prisoner swap may be in the works. Obama and his counterpart Rouhani, spoke by telephone in 2013 and the nuclear talks involved direct talks between Iranian and US foreign ministers.

Haghighatpour is a member of a special committee established by parliament to review the nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers led by the US. His people at the foreign ministry said their boss and Obama shared an unplanned, impromptu greeting in the hallways of the United Nations.

“Dr Zarif was leaving the hall when he accidentally faced Mr Obama and John Kerry, who were about to enter”.

Iran’s hardliners are dreadfully anxious a genuine rapprochement with the United States would take away one of the original pillars of country’s 1979 uprising, making a mockery of the chants of “Death to America”, called out every Friday by regime adjutants at afternoon prayers in Tehran.