President Barack Obama says published reports that the United States and Iran are planning to meet one-on-one to discuss Iran’s nuclear program after the election are "not true."
The president made his denial during the last presidential debate with Republican challenger Mitt Romney.
But
The New York Times reported on Saturday that an agreement had been made in principle that the nations would meet after the election.
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The report, which quoted White House officials, said Iranian officials insisted on any talks taking place after the election so they would know with whom they’d be negotiating.
But the White House denied that a final agreement on the talks had been reached.
“It’s not true that the United States and Iran have agreed to one-on-one talks or any meeting after the American elections,” Tommy Vietor, a White House spokesman, told The Times over the weekend.
But he added that the administration was open to such negotiations, and has “said from the outset that we would be prepared to meet bilaterally,” The Times reports.
It is not clear whether GOP challenger Mitt Romney would proceed with the talks should he be elected to the White House on Nov. 6, The Times reports.
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