"A hugely significant revelation via The New Yorker at the end of a week wherein the US took the dramatic step of sanctioning Iran's top diplomat FM Javad Zarif:
Last month, amid a rapid-fire escalation in tensions between Washington and Tehran, the Iranian Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, received an unexpected invitation—to meet President Donald Trump in the Oval Office. The diplomatic overture was made by Senator Rand Paul, the Kentucky Republican, during a meeting with Zarif in New York on July 15th, according to American and Iranian sources and a well-informed diplomat.
Paul, it must be remembered, was handpicked by President Trump as his emissary to mediate with Iran after the Kentucky senator reportedly proposed the idea during a round of golf last month.
The report describes that an intermediary initially extended an invitation to meet with Sen. Paul in New York as Zarif traveled to the US for scheduled UN meetings. Zarif is reported to have rejected the meeting after expressing concerns that it would be little more than a photo opportunity. Zarif had further expressed that he could not meet with Trump without approval from Tehran.
Though a surprising US overture, given the timing in terms of a "hot" and intensifying summer of drone shoot downs and "tanker wars" in the Persian gulf, the Iranians do doubt felt the meeting would be used by Washington to claim its "maximum pressure" campaign has brought Tehran to its knees.
The New Yorker report revealed details of what led up to the "back channel" White House invitation:..."
at https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-08-03/irans-fm-zarif-was-secretly-invited-rand-paul-meet-trump-oval-office
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