US President Donald Trump sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, seeking a new deal with Tehran to restrain its rapidly advancing nuclear program and replace the agreement he withdrew America from during his first term in office,
AP reports.
Iranian state media immediately picked up on Trump’s acknowledgment, given in excerpts from a Fox Business Network interview that aired on Friday — though there was no confirmation from Khamenei’s office that any letter had been received. The interview airs in full Sunday.
It remained unclear how the 85-year-old supreme leader would react, given that former President Barack Obama had kept his letters to Khamenei secret ahead of the start of negotiations that led to Tehran’s 2015 deal with world powers.
In comments to reporters in the Oval Office later Friday, Trump did not mention the letter directly. But he made a veiled reference to possible military action, saying: “We have a situation with Iran that, something’s going to happen very soon. Very, very soon.”
“Hopefully we can have a peace deal,” Trump said. “I’m not speaking out of strength or weakness. I’m just saying I’d rather see a peace deal than the other. But the other will solve the problem.”
Trump’s overture comes as both Israel and the United States have warned they will never let Iran acquire a nuclear weapon, leading to fears of a military confrontation as Tehran enriches uranium at near weapons-grade levels — something only done by atomic-armed nations.
In the interview with Fox host Maria Bartiromo for “Sunday Morning Futures,” Trump said, “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.’”
