Trump says he has sent a letter to Iran to negotiate a nuclear deal
The White House has reversed US foreign policy since taking office and has adopted a more conciliatory stance towards Russia.
BarcelonaUS President Donald Trump wants to negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran and says he sent a letter to the leader of the Islamic Republic on Thursday asking him to agree to sit down for talks. Iran has long been an enemy in the United States because of its rivalry with Israel, a major ally of Washington.
"I said I hope they negotiate, because it will be much better for Iran," Trump said in an interview on Fox broadcast on Friday. "I think they want to get this letter. The alternative is that we do something, because you cannot let another nuclear weapon stand."
The letter appeared to have been addressed to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but the White House has not yet confirmed this. There has been no response from Iran's foreign ministry so far.
"There are two ways to deal with Iran: militarily or by making a deal," Trump has said ominously: "I would rather make a deal, because I'm not looking to hurt Iran. These are great people."
Trump has reversed US foreign policy since taking office in January, adopting a more conciliatory stance toward Russia that has left Western allies wary as he tries to end Moscow's three-year war in Ukraine.
The US withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal, a multinational agreement to prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons, in 2018 during Trump's first term. And in fact, the Republican had already said in February that he intended to reach a deal with Iran to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.
Russia offered this week to mediate between the United States and Iran, pledging to do everything possible to facilitate a peaceful resolution to tensions over Tehran's nuclear program.
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