The unexpected and much criticized Trump’s pulling out the United States out of a multinational nuclear deal with Iran and repeatedly attacking Tehran’s government again and again saw an overture as he said recently that he is ready and willing to meet the Iranian leadership without any preconditions.
The comments from Trump came on Monday during a joint White House news conference held along with Prime Minister of Italy, Giuseppe Conte.
“I would certainly meet with Iran if they wanted to meet. I don’t know that they’re ready yet. I ended the Iran deal. It was a ridiculous deal. I do believe that they will probably end up wanting to meet and I’m ready to meet any time that they want to,” he said in Washington, DC, after being asked whether he would be willing to meet his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani.
Trump said he had “no preconditions” for a meeting with the Iranians, adding: “If they want to meet, I’ll meet.”
Such remarks from Trump come at a time when there is a heightened rhetoric in the wake of the US’ withdrawal from the landmark nuclear deal with world powers in May and its reimposition of sanctions against the Iranian state.
Since then, Washington has repeatedly threatened countries with financial consequences if they did not put a halt to all imports of Iranian oil from November 4.
Commenting over the threats, an adviser to the Iranian president said on Tuesday that any proposal for talks with the US had to start by reducing hostility and a return to the original nuclear deal.
“Respect for the great nation of Iran, reduction in hostilities, US returning to the nuclear deal… That will open the rocky path of the moment,” wrote Hamid Aboutalebi on Twitter.
Some time ago in this month, Rouhani hinted that Iran may take the crucial and extreme step of blocking regional oil exports if there is any stoppage of its own sales following the US’ withdrawal from the deal which was signed between and by the US, UK, France, Germany, Russia, China and the European Union in the year 2015.
“Do not play with the lion’s tail or else you will regret it,” Rouhani said in a speech in Tehran, reiterating that the US cannot prevent it from exporting its crude oil to the international market.
“Peace with Iran would be the mother of all peace and war with Iran would be the mother of all wars,” he added.
In response, Trump said sent out a late-night tweet directed at Rouhani and written entirely in capital letters: “Never, ever threaten the United States again or you will suffer consequences the likes of which few throughout history have ever suffered before.”
To Iranian President Rouhani: NEVER, EVER THREATEN THE UNITED STATES AGAIN OR YOU WILL SUFFER CONSEQUENCES THE LIKES OF WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HISTORY HAVE EVER SUFFERED BEFORE. WE ARE NO LONGER A COUNTRY THAT WILL STAND FOR YOUR DEMENTED WORDS OF VIOLENCE & DEATH. BE CAUTIOUS!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 23, 2018
Trump’s Twitter post looked similar to the one he issued last year to warn North Korea over the issue of its nuclear weapons programme before he met North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore in the first US-North Korean summit, where both sides announced a new friendship and made vague pledges of nuclear disarmament.
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