Barack Obama and Hassan Rouhani in historic phone call

President Barack Obama has spoken by phone to Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani – the first such top-level conversation in more than 30 years.

Barack Obama spoke of a “unique opportunity” to make progress with Iran’s new leadership, amid a flurry of diplomacy over its nuclear programme.

Earlier, Hassan Rouhani said Iran was keen to reach a deal soon.

Hassan Rouhani also asserted that Iran did not seek a nuclear bomb, as Western powers have long suspected.

Describing meetings at the UN this week as a “first step”, he said he believed the nuclear issue could be settled “within the not too distant future”.

Hassan Rouhani said initial discussions had taken place in an environment that was “quite different” from the past.

On his arrival back in Tehran from the UN General Assembly forum in New York, Hassan Rouhani was met by a number of key political figures, as well as both supporters and opponents from the public.

President Barack Obama in historic phone call with Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani

A New York Times reporter described the scene as chaotic, with dozens of hardliners hurling eggs and shoes at the president’s convoy.

The call with Barack Obama was made just before Hassan Rouhani left New York, where he has been attending the annual summit of the UN General Assembly, Iranian news agency Irna said.

White House officials described the 15 minute conversation – apparently initiated by Hassan Rouhani – as cordial.

Barack Obama raised concerns about American prisoners in Iran, but the bulk of the call was about efforts to reach a solution on the nuclear issue, she says.

Afterwards, Barack Obama said: “While there will surely be important obstacles to moving forward and success is by no means guaranteed, I believe we can reach a comprehensive solution.”

Hassan Rouhani, who is regarded as a moderate and was elected in June, has said he wants to reach a deal over the nuclear issue in three to six months.

The president says he is fully empowered by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to negotiate.

On Friday, Hassan Rouhani told a press conference at the UN: “Whatever result we achieve through negotiations my government will have the full backing of all the main branches of power in Iran as well as the support of the people of Iran.”

Hassan Rouhani said he wanted a deal “within a very short period of time”.

plsc3ScCvak
Roy Siemens

Roy likes politics. Knowledge is power, Roy constantly says, so he spends nearly all day gathering information and writing articles about the latest events around the globe. He likes history and studying about war techniques, this is why he finds writing his articles a piece of cake. Another hobby of his is horse – riding.

Recent Posts

Quincy Jones Dead at 91

Quincy Jones, the celebrated musician and producer who worked with Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Ray…

7 hours ago

White House 2024: Voter Fraud Claims Flood Social Media

Misleading allegations, rumours and outright lies about voting and fraud are flooding online spaces in…

2 days ago

Spain: At Least 158 Killed In The Country’s Worst Flooding Disaster

At least 158 people have died in Spain's worst flooding disaster in generations. On October…

4 days ago

Russia Fines Google $20,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, Surpassing Global GDP

Google has been fined two undecillion (a two followed by 36 zeroes) roubles by a…

4 days ago

Financing Your Home Remodel: 7 Tips for Success

Embarking on a home remodel is an exciting journey, promising enhanced comfort, increased property value,…

2 weeks ago

Donald Trump Serves Up McDonald’s Fries While Kamala Harris Celebrates 60th Birthday with Church Choir

The US presidential candidates continued to campaign across key swing states on October 20. Footage…

2 weeks ago