Trump says he’s written to Khamenei offering talks on Iran’s nuclear program
US president reiterates he won’t allow Iran to acquire the bomb, warns that if US decides to act with force ‘it’s going to be a terrible thing,’ says something will happen ‘soon’
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 nuclear weapons.
Asked in an interview, aired on Friday by Fox Business News, whether he had sent the letter to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Trump said, “Yes.”
Khamenei’s regime is sworn to Israel’s destruction.
“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. The interview 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.”
Speaking later to reporters in the Oval Office Trump said there will be “some interesting days ahead with Iran.”
“We are down to the final moments. We can’t let them have a nuclear weapon. Something is going to happen very soon,” he said. “I would rather have a peace deal than the other option, but the other option will solve the problem.”
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.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations said on Friday that no letter had been received yet from Trump.
“We have not received such a letter so far,” said a spokesman for Iran’s embassy to the UN after Tehran’s foreign minister told AFP Friday that the country would not negotiate so long as the United States applies “maximum pressure.”
Since Trump returned to the White House, his administration has consistently said that Iran must be prevented from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Iran claims its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes. However, US intelligence agencies and the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog say Iran had an organized military nuclear program up until 2003, and continued to develop its nuclear program beyond civilian necessity.
Britain, France and Germany in December accused Iran of growing its stockpile of high enriched uranium to “unprecedented levels” without “any credible civilian justification.” In a report in early December, the Office of the United States Director of National Intelligence warned that “Iran now has enough fissile material to make more than a dozen nuclear weapons,”
Israel contends that the Islamic Republic never truly abandoned its nuclear weapons program. Many of its nuclear sites are buried under heavily fortified mountains.
Over the past year, Iran has twice fired massive barrages of missiles at Israel. Israel struck key Iranian military facilities in retaliation for both attacks, which came in the context of a multifront war opened by Iranian terror proxies on the Jewish state.
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.
