Historic handshake between Obama and Iranian foreign minister

(Baonghean.vn) - An Iranian official said that on September 28, in New York, President Barack Obama and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif shook hands - the first handshake between a US president and a high-ranking Iranian official in more than 30 years.

US Secretary of State John Kerry (right) and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif

Iran and the United States have been at odds since the two countries severed diplomatic ties following the 1979 Islamic revolution. However, relations improved in July when a deal was signed that ended a standoff between Iran and the West over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

Senior Iranian officials said the handshake between the two leaders on Monday at the United Nations headquarters in New York was “not pre-arranged”. “It was a spontaneous gesture after President Hassan Rouhani’s speech at the UN General Assembly on September 28,” a senior official said.

There have been signs that relations between the two countries have improved significantly in recent years. President Obama and his counterpart, Mr. Rouhani, spoke by phone in 2013 and a meeting between the Iranian and US foreign ministers took place within the framework of nuclear negotiations.

Phuong Thao

(According to Reuters)