Trump invites Iran for nuclear talks

US president sends letter to Iran supreme leader

WASHINGTON:

US President Donald Trump said he wants to negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran and sent a letter to its leadership this week suggesting talks with the Islamic Republic, which the West fears is rapidly nearing the capability to make atomic weapons.

"I said I hope you're going to negotiate, because it's going to be a lot better for Iran," Trump said in an interview with Fox Business Network broadcast on Friday. "I think they want to get that letter. The other alternative is we have to do something, because you can't let another nuclear weapon."

Iran has not yet received the letter, Iran's mission to the United Nations in New York said on Friday. There was no immediate response from the foreign ministry in Iran, where it is the weekend, to a request for comment on Trump's remarks. Iran's Nour News, affiliated with the country's top security body, dismissed Trump's letter as a "repetitive show" by Washington.

Asked whether he had sent the letter to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's fiercely anti-Western Supreme Leader, Trump said, "Yes." "There are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily, or you make a deal," Trump said. "I would prefer to make a deal, because I'm not looking to hurt Iran. They're great people."

In the interview, conducted on Thursday, Trump said he sent the letter "yesterday", indicating Wednesday. Western officials fear a nuclear-armed Iran could threaten Israel, Gulf Arab oil producers, and spark a regional arms race. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons.

Russian offer to mediate

Trump has upended US foreign policy after taking office in January, adopting a more conciliatory stance towards Russia that has left Western allies wary as he tries to broker an end to Moscow's three-year-old war in Ukraine.

Trump pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal, a multinational agreement to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, in 2018, a year into his first White House term. Last month, Trump restored his "maximum pressure" campaign on Iran that includes efforts to drive its oil exports down to zero.