US President Donald Trump said he wants to negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran and sent a letter to its leadership on Thursday in which he hopes the Islamic Republic will agree to negotiate, Reuters reports.
"I said I hope they negotiate because it would be a lot better for Iran," Trump said in an interview with Fox Business Network, broadcast on Friday, March 7.
"I think they want to get that letter. The other alternative is that we have to do something because you can't allow another nuclear weapon."
The letter appears to have been addressed to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
"There are two ways we can deal with Iran: militarily or make a deal," Trump said. "I would rather make a deal because I don't want to hurt Iran. They are great people."
Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal, a multinational agreement to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, in 2018, a year into his first term in the White House.
He said in February that he would like to make a new deal with Iran that prevents the country from developing nuclear weapons.
Russia offered to mediate between the United States and Iran earlier this week, while the Kremlin pledged to do everything possible to facilitate a peaceful resolution of tensions over Tehran's nuclear program.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov discussed international efforts to resolve the situation over Iran's nuclear program with Iranian Ambassador Kazem Jalali, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday.