US President Donald Trump has again said that he would rather make a deal with Iran than be drawn into a military conflict.
“Everybody thinks that Israel, with our help or with our approval, is going to bomb Iran. I would rather not have that happen. I would rather have a deal with Iran that would allow us to inspect Iran's nuclear facilities, to observe“, he said in an interview with Fox News.
“You can't let Iran get a nuclear weapon and there are two ways to stop them: with bombs or with a piece of paper. I would rather make a deal that doesn't hurt them. I think they would want that too," Trump is convinced.
Trump also claims that Tehran is "worried" and "scared" because its defense capabilities are "almost completely lost".
Earlier, Trump signed an executive order to restore maximum pressure on Iran. It envisages Washington stepping up its efforts to reduce Iranian oil exports. At the same time, Trump admitted the possibility of a meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezizkian.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi then said that the US president's concerns about Tehran acquiring nuclear weapons were unfounded. According to him, the Islamic Republic is committed to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. In addition, there is a religious order from Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei that prohibits the creation of such weapons, the minister added. Araghchi stressed that the new attempt at maximum pressure on Tehran will fail, like all the previous ones.
The American president also said that he had spoken with Chinese President Xi Jinping since taking office.
Trump added that he has a "very good personal relationship" with the Chinese leader.
On February 1, the head of the White House signed an order to impose tariffs on goods from Canada, China and Mexico. Additional tariffs of 10% were imposed on goods from China. Last week, Trump said that he was in no hurry to hold a phone call with Xi Jinping to discuss trade tariffs.