US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Iran was ready to negotiate a deal to avoid American military action, but Iran said talks cannot happen under threats.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said, “They do want to make a deal.” He added that he had set a deadline for Iran to enter talks but did not reveal what it was. “Hopefully we’ll make a deal. If we don’t make a deal, we’ll see what happens,” Trump said, referring to the deployment of a US naval carrier group near Iran.
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, meanwhile, Tehran was "ready to begin negotiations if they take place on an equal footing, based on mutual interests and mutual respect", but, he emphasised, "I want to state firmly that Iran's defensive and missile capabilities will never be subject to negotiation", adding that no plans were in place to meet with US officials about resuming talks.
Trump has repeatedly warned of military action if Iran does not agree to US demands, which include limits on its nuclear programme and missile capabilities. Iran has said it would retaliate against any US strike. Turkey has offered to mediate between the two sides.
