Iranians divided on whether their leaders should talk to Trump
Iranians are divided in their view of how to respond to President Donald Trump’s offer of direct talks. While many see it as insincere, they nonetheless welcome it as an opportunity to beat the United States at its own game.
As President Hassan Rouhani is in New York to attend the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly, the Iranian public remains divided on whether he should meet with his US counterpart, Donald Trump.
Since the US withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in May and its reimposition of sanctions on Iran, Trump has on repeated occasions suggested that he is ready to hold a face-to-face meeting with Iran’s leaders. But what do Iranians think about his proposal?
Arash, 25, has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering but works in a cell phone store. He says the market is not good and people are buying fewer and fewer cell phones. Arash thinks this is all because of US policies. He told Al-Monitor, “With sanctions returning and the devaluation of the rial, our work has become harder. If Trump and Rouhani meeting can truly solve the decades-old problems between Iran and the US, why shouldn’t we meet [with them]?”
Iranian officials say Trump had also sought a meeting with Rouhani during the 2017 General Assembly gathering. According to a July 18 statement by Presidential Chief of Staff Mahmoud Vaezi, the Trump administration asked for a meeting with the Iranian side eight times last year, but all of the requests were rejected.
