WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he could meet with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and that he had no problem with such an encounter.
Trump made the remarks to reporters at the White House.
Rouhani has said Iran would not talk to the United States until Washington lifts all of the sanctions it has reimposed on Tehran after it withdrew last year from a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers.
Trump, who has stepped up sanctions under what he calls a policy of "maximum pressure" on Iran, said last week a meeting with Rouhani was possible at the U.N. General Assembly in New York later in September.
"Sure, anything's possible. They would like to be able to solve their problem," Trump told White House reporters on Wednesday, referring to inflation in Iran. "We could solve it in 24 hours."
A day earlier, Rouhani told an open session of the Iranian parliament: "No decision has ever been taken to hold talks with the U.S. and there has been a lot of offers for talks but our answer will always be negative."
"If America lifts all the sanctions then, like before, it can join multilateral talks between Tehran and parties to the 2015 deal," Rouhani added.
(Reporting by Steve Holland; Writing by Mohammad Zargham; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien and Sandra Maler)