US President Donald Trump said he was prepared to talk to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani but that there was always a chance of US military action against the country.
"So Iran is a place that was extremely hostile when I first came into office," Trump told British television station ITV.
"They were a terrorist nation number one in the world at that time and probably maybe are today."
When asked if he thought he would need to take military action, he said: "There's always a chance. Do I want to? No. I'd rather not. But there's always a chance."
"Yeah of course. I would much rather talk,” he said, when asked, that he was prepared to talk to Rouhani.
Tensions between Washington and Tehran soared recently over America’s deployment of an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers to the Arabian Gulf over a threat it perceives from Tehran.
Last year, the US withdrew from a nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers and re-imposed sanctions on Iran targeting the country's oil sector.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said the US is willing to talk with Iran "with no preconditions." Iran says Washington must return to the deal first.
