Obama, Iran's Zarif shake hands, but not a planned gesture - Iranian official

Nothing was planned at all, and it just happened in a few seconds, said an official

UNITED NATIONS: President Barack Obama and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif shook hands at the United Nations, an Iranian official told Reuters on Tuesday, adding that the historical event on Monday "was not preplanned".

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"It was kind of accidental and happened after (President Hassan) Rouhani's speech to the UN General Assembly on Monday," said the senior official on condition of anonymity.

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"Nothing was planned at all, and it just happened in a few seconds and they greeted each other as well."

President Barack Obama sat down with more than 100 leaders at the United Nations on Tuesday to push ahead with the US-led campaign against the Islamic State group despite Russia’s rival plan.