Trump says "all meetings" with Iranian officials cancelled

WASHINGTON, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he has cancelled "all meetings" with Iranian officials.

The announcement came one day after the president announced that any country doing business with Iran would pay a tariff rate of 25 percent on any business conducted with the United States.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday that diplomacy remains the preferred approach for the United States to deal with Iran, though the Trump administration will not rule out military options if necessary.