Trump: I would like a deal done with Iran

US President Donald Trump told The New York Post in an interview published on Sunday that he would like to reach a deal with Iran over its nuclear program.

“I would like a deal done with Iran… I would prefer that to bombing the hell out of it. . . . They don’t want to die. Nobody wants to die,” Trump said.

“If we made the deal, Israel wouldn’t bomb them,” the President added.

He would not reveal details of any potential negotiations with Iran and would only say, “In a way, I don’t like telling you what I’m going to tell them. You know, it’s not nice.”

“I could tell what I have to tell them, and I hope they decide that they’re not going to do what they’re currently thinking of doing. And I think they’ll really be happy. I’d tell them I’d make a deal,” said Trump.

In 2018, during his first term in office, Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers, reinstating strict US sanctions as part of his “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran.

In response, Iran has taken many steps to scale back its compliance with the deal.

In its latest step to advance its nuclear program, Iran recently informed the IAEA of its intention to “significantly increase” its production of uranium enriched up to 60 percent.

The Biden administration sought to return to the 2015 deal and held indirect talks with Iran on a return to compliance, but those talks failed due to Iran’s insistence on the closure of the UN nuclear watchdog’s investigations of its nuclear sites.

In his second term, Trump has reaffirmed his “maximum pressure” approach against Iran, and this past week imposed financial sanctions on individuals and entities accused of facilitating the shipment of hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Iranian crude oil to China.

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, last week cautioned the government against engaging in talks with Washington, describing such a move as “reckless.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi made clear on Saturday that Iran is open to negotiations with the United States but not under Trump’s “maximum pressure” strategy.

“The lifting of sanctions requires negotiations, but not within the framework of a ‘maximum pressure’ policy, because it would not be a negotiation but a form of surrender,” Araqchi stated in a message published on Telegram.