Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., attempted to set up a meeting last month between Iran's top diploman and President Donald Trump, The New Yorker reported Friday.
Paul, reportedly with the blessing of the administration, met with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif in New York during United Nations meetings in effort to iron out details, The New Yorker's Robin Wright reported, citing officials in the United States and Iran.
Zarif suggested ways to ease tensions over Iran's enrichment of uranium and over its suspected involvement in bombing of oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. Zarif's ideas included having Iran Parliament establish as law Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's religious fatwas condemning the productions of nuclear weapons and a resumption of cooperation based on the 2015 nuclear agreement in exchange for sanctions relief.
Paul suggested a meeting with Trump in the Oval Office to discuss the issues. Zarif responded that he would have to check with Tehran, but feared the meeting would amount to little more than a photo-op and a two-page document.
"We have a hundred-and-fifty-page document," Zarif told The New Yorker, referring to the 2015 agreement.
The White House declined to comment to The New Yorker.
