Khaberni - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday that President Donald Trump prefers to reach a nuclear deal with Iran, and that he is prepared to meet the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei if Tehran wishes to engage in direct dialogue.
Rubio added in a television interview, "Nations need to interact with each other, and I work under an administration where the president is ready to meet anyone."
He continued, "I can confidently say that if the Supreme Leader says tomorrow that he wants to meet him, he will meet him, not because he agrees with his views, but because he sees it as a way to solve problems in the world."
Rubio's statements came following the first round of nuclear talks between the United States and Iran, which concluded on February 6 in Muscat, under the auspices of the Sultanate of Oman.
The Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed that the talks were indirect and focused exclusively on the nuclear file, emphasizing that making progress requires an approach free from threats or pressure.
Trump spoke frankly on Friday about the potential for changing the regime in Iran, after the Republican president had earlier announced that a second American aircraft carrier would depart to the Middle East, following Tehran's threat of painful consequences if no agreement is reached on its nuclear program.
In response to a question about whether he wants "a change of regime" in Iran, Trump said: "It seems that this is the best that could happen."
He added: "For (47) years, they have been talking and talking and talking. Meanwhile, we have lost a lot of lives."
Trump has been threatening military action against the Islamic Republic since the protests that broke out there in late December.
