Washington:
US President Donald Trump has said that Washington did not need a peace deal with Iran requiring the removal of the Islamic Republic’s enriched uranium from the country. “It’s entombed,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, adding that he “doesn’t like” the idea of the US military doing it. Trump’s latest remarks are a slight deviation from his earlier stance, as he repeatedly insisted that Iran will not be permitted to keep its highly enriched uranium stockpile, making its removal or destruction a central prerequisite in ongoing US-Iran peace negotiations
The US leader also said that he would be “honoured” to meet Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, if a deal is reached between the two countries.
Read: Trump May Resume War With Iran If US Troops Are Killed: Report
“I don’t want to meet, but if I did meet, I’d be honoured to meet him,” Trump said when asked about a possible sit-down with the Iranian leader, whose father and predecessor, Ali Khamenei, was killed at the beginning of the US-Israeli war on Iran on February 28.
“I’d like to see if we make a deal, but if we make a deal, it’s possible that I would meet him,” he added.
Read: Trump Wants Tougher Iran Deal, But It Looks More Like Obama’s 2015 Pact
Khamenei, a 54-year-old Islamic cleric, was named the supreme leader in Iran after his father was killed in the US-Israeli strike.
The US leader noted that despite American and Israeli forces targeting several of his family members, he expects Khamenei to be “professional.”
“We killed his father, his wife and his son, so I’m probably not his favourite person… [But] in some circles, he has a very good reputation, actually,” Trump said.
Read: Netanyahu Worried Trump May Strike A “Bad Interim Deal” With Iran: Report
Asked where his possible meeting with the Iranian leader can take place, Trump said, “I haven’t really heard too much about it. I didn’t suggest it, but some people have suggested it.”
Trump also said the US did not need a deal with Iran to get enriched uranium from the country.
“We could get it right now. I don’t think they could stop us if we wanted, but there’s no reason to. It’s entombed,” he told reporters.
