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

A senior US diplomat said that the 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 the 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 the 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 hostages without “cherry-picking”.

Read: UN Chief Says Missiles, Drones Used To Attack Saudi Arabia Of 'Iranian Origin'

'Big deal'

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

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

Read: Russia, China Make Case At UN Security Council Against US Sanctions Threat On Iran