It could be a long while before Tehran and Washington cross paths again — at least in positive terms.

Despite efforts by several world leaders to get the presidents of Iran and the United States together on the sidelines of the recent UN General Assembly session in New York, no such meeting took place and no improvements were made in the tense situation between Tehran and Washington.

As Iranian President Hassan Rouhani arrived in New York for the Sept. 17-30 session, there was increasing speculation that something could potentially happen between him and his US counterpart, Donald Trump. This speculation prompted Iran’s hard-liners to warn Rouhani, both before his departure and while he was in New York, that if such a meeting were to take place, he would pay a heavy political price once he returned.

However, Trump’s speech on the first day and his harsh words regarding Iran ended all hopes for any developments for the near future. Trump’s tone even led Rouhani to change his speech. An informed source in the Iranian administration who spoke to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity said, "We foresaw that the US president would be unpredictable. Therefore, despite the positive signals we had received from some European countries before President Rouhani’s departure for New York, we waited to see the behavior and policies of Trump himself."