US President Donald Trump has announced his intention to negotiate a nuclear agreement with Iran. On Thursday, he sent a letter to the Iranian leadership, expressing hope that the Islamic Republic, a long-time adversary of the US’s Israeli ally, is willing to engage in talks.
“I said I hope you’ll negotiate, because it will be much better for Iran” Trump stated in an interview with Fox Business Network, broadcast on Friday.
“I think they want to receive this letter. The alternative is that we have to do something, because we can’t allow another nuclear weapon” he added.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry, however, did not respond to a request for comment on Trump’s statements, as the country is currently observing a weekend. The letter was reportedly addressed to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The White House did not immediately respond to a related inquiry.
“There are two ways to deal with Iran: militarily or through a deal” Trump threatened. “I would prefer to make an agreement, because I don’t want to harm Iran. They are great people.”
Trump has reoriented the US foreign policy since taking office in January, adopting a more conciliatory approach towards Russia, which has raised concerns among Western allies as he seeks to mediate an end to the three-year conflict in Ukraine.
In 2018, a year after the start of his first term in the White House, Trump withdrew the US from the nuclear agreement with Iran, a multinational accord aimed at preventing the country from developing nuclear weapons.
In February, he stated that he aims to strike a deal with Iran that would prevent the country from developing nuclear weapons. Russia has offered to mediate between the US and Iran, according to a source familiar with the talks, reported by Reuters, while the Kremlin has assured that it will do everything in its power to enable a peaceful resolution of the tensions over Tehran’s nuclear program.
The Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Sergei Ryabkov, met with the Iranian Ambassador, Kazem Jalali, to discuss the international efforts to resolve the situation surrounding Iran’s nuclear program, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Friday.