Iran denies requesting meeting with US

DUBAI - Iran did not request a meeting with the United States to resume nuclear talks, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Tuesday according to state media.

US President Donald Trump's Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff said he would meet with Iranian diplomats "next week or so".

Trump on Monday said he would love to remove tough US sanctions on Iran at the right time.

Trump, speaking to reporters at the start of a dinner with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said a recent move to remove US sanctions on Syria would help that country move forward, and he hoped a similar move could happen for Iran.

"I would love to be able to, at the right time, take those sanctions off, give them a chance at rebuilding, because I'd like to see Iran build itself back up in a peaceful manner, and not going around saying, 'death to America,' 'death to the USA,' 'death to Israel,' as they were doing," he said.