Iran's foreign minister reportedly gave Rand Paul some ideas for resolving tensions


Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) extended an invitation to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to meet with President Trump in the Oval Office last month, The New Yorker reports.
Trump reportedly granted Paul the leeway to make the offer, but Zarif, who was reportedly concerned the meeting would be little more than a photo opportunity, was unable to attend after running it by his superiors in Tehran, who apparently agreed with his reservations.
American and Iranian forces said that during an hour-long meeting with Paul, Zarif outlined some ideas about how to end the tensions between Tehran and Washington that have been growing since the U.S. withdrew from the 2015 nuclear pact last year. Among the ideas brought forth was the prospect of codifying into law a fatwa, or religious edict, forbidding the production or use of a nuclear weapon that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued twice in the past, once in 2003 and again in 2010.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Zarif also reportedly suggested that Iran would stick to the 2015 agreement's guidelines in exchange for the removal of U.S. sanctions. If that was the case, he reportedly told Paul that Tehran could expedite the ratification of an international protocol later this year that would allow intrusive international inspections of nuclear sites in perpetuity.
But Paul was ultimately rebuffed when he pitched the idea of Zarif running these options by Trump in person. Read more at The New Yorker.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
5 bunker-busting cartoons about the Israel-Iran war
Cartoons Political cartoonists take on Iran waiting for Pete Hegseth to leak war plans and Donald Trump's wish for a Nobel prize
-
Malaysia's delicious food and glorious beaches
The Week Recommends From 'colourful' George Town to the 'jungled interior' of Langkawi, Malaysia is incredibly diverse
-
Is the US sliding into autocracy?
Talking Point Donald Trump's use of federal troops on home ground, dismissal of dissent and 'braggadocious' military posturing are all symptoms of a shifting political culture
-
How the Israel-Iran conflict broke out
The Explainer Israel's strike on Iran's nuclear and missile programmes was years in the planning
-
Will the UK get involved in the Israel-Iran conflict?
Today's Big Question Keir Starmer is 'walking a tightrope' in helping Israel limit Tehran's nuclear capabilities without being seen to do so
-
What happens if Israel attacks Iran?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Israel is 'ready to strike' and Tehran has plans for counterattacks against the US as nuclear talks appear deadlocked
-
Russia and Iran 'up the ante' after meeting in Turkmenistan
The Explainer Two nations talk up their closer ties but some in Tehran believe Putin 'still owes' them
-
Israel's wars: is an end in sight – or is this just the beginning?
Today's Big Question Lack of wider strategic vision points to 'sustained low-intensity war' on multiple fronts
-
Iran and Israel: is all-out war inevitable?
Talking Points Tehran has vowed revenge for assassinations of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, but Gaza ceasefire could offer way out
-
Hamas and Hezbollah strikes: what does it mean for Israel?
Today's Big Question Iran vows revenge for death of Hamas political leader in Tehran, hours after Israeli strike kills top Hezbollah member in Beirut
-
Could Hezbollah defeat Israel?
Today's Big Question 'World's best-armed non-state group' on brink of all-out war with neighbour as UN chief warns of regional 'catastrophe'