US wants in-person meeting with Iran on prisoners release, Trump ready to negotiate

A senior US diplomat said that United States would like to have an “in-person” meeting with Iran to discuss prisoner release after Tehran freed a Navy veteran as part of a deal. Speaking at a virtual event hosted by Council on Foreign Relations, US Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook said America also wants UN Security Council to impose an indefinite arms embargo on Iran amid its accelerated nuclear program.

“We’d love to have an in-person meeting to have a consular dialogue so that we can move faster than we have,” said Hook.

Earlier this month, US Navy veteran Michael White arrived in America after being freed by Tehran as part of a deal in which United States allowed a dual citizen to visit Iran. Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif confirmed on June 4 that Iranian American physician Majid Taheri will soon be visiting his family, adding that it can happen for all hosts without “cherry-picking”.

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'Big deal'

After White’s release, Trump took to Twitter to express his delight on latest development on host situation saying “it shows a deal is possible”. Trump had asserted that he is going to win elections and it will better for Iran to make a “better deal” w, asking Iran t wait for US elections to make “Big Deal”.

Hook said that door for diplomacy is wide open on all issues that have been plaguing US-Iran bilateral relations for 41 years, adding that Trump would like to get to negotiating table. Iran has been crippling sanctions from United States after latter pulled out of Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA), also kwn as Iran nuclear deal, in 2018 and bilateral relations have been in a free fall since n. 

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