With Trump 'down to final strokes,' can Russia convince Iran to engage?
The US president said he had written a letter to Iran's supreme leader before talking about "final strokes" with Tehran, but questions have been raised regarding whether Russia's potential mediation will resolve the standoff.
TEHRAN — This week saw renewed debates on the possibility of US-Iran diplomacy amid fresh calls by President Donald Trump for Tehran to come to the negotiating table over its nuclear program.
Since taking office in January, Trump has time and again declared that he favors dialogue with the Islamic Republic, while not tolerating its possible production of nuclear weapons.
Speaking to Fox Business on Friday, Trump said he had written a letter to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. "I said I hope you're going to negotiate, because it's going to be a lot better for Iran," Trump noted. Yet he did not rule out the military option if Iran fails to engage. "There are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily, or you make a deal," he declared, adding that he prefers an agreement "because I'm not looking to hurt Iran."
Hours after the interview was published, Iran's official news agency, IRNA, cited the country's permanent mission to the United Nations in New York as saying, "We have not yet received any such letter."
