Iran rejects Trump's offer to meet with Rouhani

President Trump said he would meet with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and other top leaders "any time they want," and it turns out, that time is never.

Trump extended the offer on Monday, saying there are "no preconditions. They want to meet, I'll meet, whenever they want." One of Rouhani's advisers, Hamid Aboutalebi, said before the pair could ever get together, Trump must show "respect for the great nation of Iran," and promise a return to the nuclear deal, among other demands.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was also wary, and seemed to contradict Trump by telling CNBC the president is "prepared to sit down and have a conversation" with Rouhani if he meets several conditions. The Iranians must "demonstrate a commitment to make fundamental changes in how they treat their own people," he said, as well as "reduce their malign behavior" and "agree that it's worthwhile to enter in a nuclear agreement that actually prevents proliferation."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.