US Denies Telling Rouhani Sanctions Would Be Lifted In Exchange For Talks

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Friday that the U.S. had offered to remove all sanctions in exchange for talks, according to Reuters. 

Brian Hook, the U.S. special representative for Iran, said the statement is "baseless" and added that the U.S. government is committed to zero oil exports from Iran. 

Iran At Forefront At UN

Iran has been accused of involvement in the Sept. 14 attack on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities; Yemen-based Houthi rebels claimed responsibility.

The U.S, France, Germany and the U.K. have all blamed Iran for the attacks, which impacted Saudi Arabia's oil production. Since the attack, exchanges between Iran and the U.S. have become more heated.

During the United Nations General Assembly this week, French President Emmanuel Macron attempted to arrange an encounter between the U.S. and Iranian presidents in the hopes that it would reduce the risk of all-out war in the Middle East. 

“3 out of the 6 countries, that is the Chancellor of Germany, Prime Minister of Britain, and President of France all insisted for the meeting to be held, saying that the U.S. would lift all sanctions,” Rouhani said in a blog post.

Pompeo: 'Good Discussions' With Allies

Earlier this week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. had "a productive week" of discussion with allies on Iran.

In a press conference, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the U.S. had "good discussions" with allies about Iranian sanctions. 

"The Europeans made it very clear they would not do anything without our consent."

The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust SPY was trading down 0.13% at $296.60 at the time of publication. 

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Photo by Meghdad Madadi via Wikimedia.