(CNN) Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says that he was sanctioned by the United States after refusing an invitation to meet President Donald Trump at the White House in July.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday in Tehran, Zarif said that during his visit to the United Nations last month he met with several US senators and congressmen. Zarif said that he was warned that if he had accepted the invitation to the White House, he could have avoided the sanctions against him.

The minister said that he would not name the senators or congressmen he met with nor would he detail the contents of their conversations due to his role as a diplomat.

"On my trip to New York, I was told that I would be sanctioned within two weeks unless I accepted the offer, which I fortunately did not accept," he said.

Iranian government spokesperson Ali Rabiei said on Sunday that an invitation was brokered by Senator Rand Paul, who Trump had authorized to act as an intermediary between the two countries, reported Iran's state media Press TV. CNN has reached out to the White House and Paul's office for comment.

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