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Rouhani Says US Must Lift Sanctions Before Talks

Ken Bredemeier

   WASHINGTON - VOA Persian's Katherine Ahn contributed to this report.

   Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said if U.S. President Donald Trump
   wants to hold talks, he must "take the first step" and lift all
   sanctions imposed against Iran.

   Rouhani said Iran has made it clear it has no desire to build a nuclear
   weapon, and called the sanctions "illegal, unjust and unfair."

   Trump said Monday "there's a really good chance" he would meet with
   Rouhani in the coming weeks to try to negotiate a new agreement to
   limit Iran's nuclear program, replacing a 2015 international deal Trump
   withdrew from last year.

   Trump, speaking at the end of the G-7 summit of top world leaders in
   France, said, "I think Iran is going to want to meet."

   The U.S. leader said the economic sanctions he reimposed on Iran a year
   ago "are absolutely hurting them" as Trump has sought to sharply limit
   Iran's international oil exports.

   But Trump predicated any meeting with Rouhani on the condition that
   Iran not create more overseas tensions with military advances and
   attacks. He said a new deal would have to ban Iranian nuclear weapons
   and ballistic missile testing and cover a longer period than the
   10-year time frame dictated by the 2015 accord.
   

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