On Friday, President Obama spoke on the phone with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, making it the first direct interaction between the country’s leaders since 1979. Obama acknowledged the conversation as only a starting point, but one that could lead to an agreement about Iran’s nuclear power. Obama commented that he made similar remarks to Rouhani to those he made at the UN General Assembly. The main point he made was that the United States would consider negotiations so long as Iran promises to move forward on real action.
In a White House briefing, President 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.”
“So the test will be meaningful, transparent, and verifiable actions, which can also bring relief from the comprehensive international sanctions that are currently in place,” he said Friday.
The conversation itself came as a surprise, after the was much speculation as to whether Obama and Rouhani would meet in person at the UNGA. Susan Rice, National Security Advisor, told CNN that the Iranian delegation was the one to contact them. “Today, somewhat surprisingly, we were contacted by them to say that President Rouhani would like to speak to President Obama on the telephone on his way out of town, and we were able to make that call come together and it was a constructive conversation,” she said.
There is certainly a better sense of cooperation between the two countries, and as Obama said, “I believe we have a responsibility to pursue diplomacy, and that we have a unique opportunity to make progress with the new leadership in Tehran.”
