U.S. President Donald Trump says he believes a deal with Iran over its nuclear program can be reached as Tehran is eager to negotiate and avoid an escalation that could involve a military option.
Speaking in an interview on Fox News late on February 10, Trump said Iranian officials were "worried and frightened" of the consequences should a deal not be reached, hours after Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian questioned Washington’s sincerity in seeking negotiations with Tehran.
"Everyone thinks Israel, with our help or our approval, will go in and bomb the hell out of them. I would prefer that not happen," Trump said.
"You cannot allow Iran…to have a nuclear weapon, but there's two ways to stopping them: with bombs or a written piece of paper.... I think Iran would love to make a deal and I would love to make a deal with them without bombing them."
SEE ALSO: Iran Says Ready To Negotiate With U.S., But Not Under 'Maximum Pressure'Trump said Tehran has been weakened by a "massive loss" to its air defenses, an apparent reference to Israeli strikes in late October that analysts have said dealt a "significant blow" to Iran's ability to produce long-range ballistic missiles.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei last week dismissed the prospect of nuclear talks with the United States, insisting negotiations would not address Iran's problems days after Trump had talked of making a deal where Iranians could "get on" with their lives.
On February 4, Trump signed an order to restore his "maximum economic pressure" policy on Iran aimed at hurting its oil exports and slowing its nuclear program, which Tehran claims is for civilian purposes.
A landmark deal with world powers in 2015 had restricted Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
But Trump withdrew the United States from the agreement during his first term and reimposed sanctions in 2018, leading Tehran to accelerate its uranium enrichment and limit international inspections of its nuclear sites.
SEE ALSO: China Is Iran's Top Oil Customer. Can Trump Use Sanctions To Change That?When he pulled out of the nuclear deal, Trump said Tehran was not living up to the spirit of the deal and was continuing attempts to develop nuclear weapons. He also accused Iran of supporting extremist violence in the region, which Tehran denied.
Trump told Fox News that any new agreement with Tehran must include being able to monitor, inspect, and verify Iran's nuclear activities and destroy nuclear material or simply ensure that "it is no longer nuclear."
He did not give any further details of what a deal would encompass.