FRANCE/IRAN/SANCTIONS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Hassan Rouhani of Iran said on Tuesday [8-27-19] that he would not sit down for a meeting with President Trump until Washington had lifted all of its economic sanctions against Iran. His comment came a day after President Emmanuel Macron of France said he would try to arrange a meeting between Mr. Trump and Mr. Rouhani in the next few weeks to ease the strained relationship between the United States and Iran. That relationship has worsened since Mr. Trump abandoned the Iranian nuclear agreement last year and imposed crippling sanctions on Iran’s economy. Mr. Macron said at a news conference on Monday [8-26-19] at the conclusion of the Group of 7 meeting in France that he had spoken with his Iranian counterpart to determine whether a meeting was possible.”
–Megan Specia, “Iran’s Rouhani Says No Talks With Trump Until Sanctions Are Lifted,” The New York Times online, August 27, 2019