Iran's FM says no plan to meet Pompeo in Singapore

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Thursday that he has no plan to meet US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Singapore.

The two will take part in the 51st session of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) foreign ministers meeting underway in Singapore, Xinhua reported.

"Meeting for the sake of meeting means nothing. The Americans have to show that the meetings will lead to agreements that will be respected," Zarif was quoted by the official IRNA news agency as saying.

"Today even the U.S. allies cannot trust the commitments made by Washington," he said.

The Iranian foreign minister ruled out any dialogue with the US under pressure and threats.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has also dismissed any possibility for holding negotiations with the US to settle the dispute over the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal.

"We cannot rely on the American words and even their signature, therefore, negotiations with them are fruitless," Khamenei said.

US President Donald Trump, who decided to quit the nuclear deal in May, this week offered to meet and talk with Iranian leaders to resolve the rising tensions following a war of words and military threats between the two sides.

--IANS

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