US President Donald Trump said he sent a letter to Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, something not immediately confirmed by the supreme leader.
Trump made the comments in an interview aired on Friday by Fox Business News, saying he wrote to Iranian leaders.
“I’ve written them a letter saying, ‘I hope you’re going to negotiate because if we have to go in militarily, it’s going to be a terrible thing,’” Trump said. “You can’t let them have a nuclear weapon.”
“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.”
He later added that he had sent the letter “yesterday” in the interview, which was filmed on Thursday.
The White House confirmed Trump’s comments, saying that he sent a letter to Iran’s leaders seeking to negotiate a nuclear deal. Trump made the comments in an interview that will air fully on Sunday.
“I would rather negotiate a deal. I’m not sure that everybody agrees with me, but we can make a deal that would be just as good as if you won militarily,” Trump added. “But the time is happening now. The time is coming up. Something’s going to happen one way or the other.”
Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported on Trump’s comments, citing the broadcast. However, there was no immediate word from the office of the 85-year-old Khamenei, who has final say over all matters of state.
Since Trump returned to the White House, his administration has consistently said that Iran must be prevented from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Iran, which is sworn to Israel’s destruction, insists its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes. However, a report last month by the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog said Iran has accelerated its production of near weapons-grade uranium.
Trump’s first term in office was marked by a particularly troubled period in relations with Tehran. In 2018, he unilaterally withdrew the United States from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers, leading to sanctions hobbling the economy, and ordered the killing of the country’s top general.
Under the original 2015 nuclear deal, Iran was allowed to enrich uranium only up to 3.67% purity and maintain a stockpile of uranium of 300 kilograms.
Iran’s accelerated production of near weapons-grade uranium puts more pressure on Trump as he’s repeatedly said he’s open to negotiations with the Islamic Republic while also increasingly targeting Iran’s oil sales with sanctions as part of his reimposed “maximum pressure” policy.
Khamenei in a speech last August opened the door to talks with the US, saying there is “no harm” in engaging with the “enemy.”
However, more recently he tempered that, saying that negotiations with America “are not intelligent, wise or honorable” after Trump floated nuclear talks with Tehran.
Amid Trump’s threat of military force if negotiations fail, the US Air Force held a joint exercise with the Israeli Air Force on Tuesday, in what was likely a message to Iran.
The drill included Israeli F-15I and F-35I fighter jets flying alongside a US B-52 bomber. The drill is potentially aimed at readying the Israeli military for a potential joint strike with the US on Iran.
The IAF has already carried out two strikes on Iran without US support, in response to Iran’s ballistic missile attacks on Israel. The Israeli strikes reportedly left key Iranian air defenses crippled.
However, Israel would likely need the heavy capabilities of the B-52s to effectively hit Iran’s heavily fortified underground nuclear sites.