TEHRAN, Sept 28: Hundreds of Iranians cheered President Hassan Rouhani on his return from New York on Saturday after his historic phone call with US President Barack Obama but a smaller number of people shouted “Death to America” and threw eggs and shoes at his official car leaving the airport, Iranian media reported.

While an anticipated handshake between Mr Rouhani and Mr Obama at the UN headquarters failed to materialise, they held a 15-minute call on Friday at the end of the new Iranian president’s visit to the UN General Assembly.

Iranian media said hundreds of Rouhani supporters keen to see him make good on pledges of “constructive interaction” with the world to ease Iran’s international isolation and get punitive sanctions lifted turned up to hail his UN visit.

But a group of about 100 people also appeared and, shouting the “Death to America” slogan, pelted his official car with eggs and stones in protest at Mr Rouhani’s diplomatic opening towards Washington.—Reuters