Trump voices hope for Iran deal

PARIS:

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday he remained hopeful of striking a deal with Iran, even as Tehran warned that any American military attack would ignite a regional war, deepening tensions already strained by weeks of unrest inside the Islamic republic.

Trump's remarks came after Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, accused the United States of fuelling recent anti-government protests and cautioned that a US strike would provoke a far wider conflict.

Speaking to reporters, Trump brushed aside the warning but left the door open to diplomacy. "Hopefully we'll make a deal. If we don't make a deal, then we'll find out whether or not he was right," he said.

Khamenei described the protests as a "coup", alleging that demonstrators attacked police stations, government buildings, banks and mosques. "The Americans should know that if they start a war, this time it will be a regional war," he said

He urged Iranians not to be intimidated by Trump's rhetoric. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said mistrust of Washington remained deep but signalled cautious openness to talks if the US pursued what he called a fair and equitable deal focused on preventing nuclear weapons.

The crisis has reverberated beyond bilateral ties. The EU has designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organisation, prompting Iran's parliament to retaliate with similar labels against European armies.