MOSCOW (TASS) — The Iranian leadership intends to normalize relations with the United States, Russian President Vladimir Putin told a plenary session at the Russian Energy Week 2019 International Forum.

Dialogue is always “better than any confrontation”, Putin underlined exemplifying this statement with a “strong-willed and balanced, absolutely pragmatic and right” decision to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made by US President Donald Trump.

The Russian leader said:

The same applies to direct contacts between Iran and the US, between the Iranian and US Presidents,

[…]

Such an attempt was made by France at the UN General Assembly in New York, as far as I know. Regrettably, this meeting was not held because Iran believes that the pressure of sanctions strips it of equal grounds for this dialogue […] But I believe that there is longing for normalization of the situation, particularly normalization of relations with the US, in Tehran.

On October 2, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told a government meeting that he refused to engage in talks with his American colleague on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly because he does not believe that such a meeting would be in best interests of Tehran. Rouhani stated, “The US President twice underlined that he wants to tighten sanctions against Iran in his UN General Assembly speech.”