State Department ‘Not in the Least’ Discouraged by Iran’s Refusal to Engage

Acting Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs and State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert at a press briefing at the State Department in Washington on July 31, 2018. Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times

The State Department says it’s “not in the least” discouraged after Iranian officials dismissed President Donald Trump’s remark that he’s willing to meet with the Islamic state without any preconditions.

“They’re certainly entitled to do that,” spokeswoman Heather Nauert said during a July 31 press conference. “We prefer diplomacy, they prefer to export their malignant behavior around the world, as we have seen them do for many, many decades.”