Trump calls on Iran's supreme leader to open nuclear talks

Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News on Mar 7, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

President Donald Trump says he has written to Iran’s supreme leader to open talks for a new deal that could prevent Tehran from successfully building nuclear weapons.

Even though he killed a similar deal with Iran in his first term, Trump said in a new interview that he wrote a letter to Ali Khamenei this week warning that Iran should negotiate an end to its rapidly advancing nuclear program — or face the consequences.

“I’ve written them a letter saying, ‘I hope you’re going to negotiate because if we have to go in militarily, it’s going to be a terrible thing,’” Trump told Fox Business News in an interview taped Thursday.

Trump conceded that some might accuse him of going easy on the ayatollahs by entering negotiations. especially since he used the same argument to trash former President Obama’s deal to limit Tehran’s progress in developing nukes.

“I would rather negotiate a deal. I’m not sure that everybody agrees with me, but we can make a deal that would be just as good as if you won militarily,” Trump said. “But the time is happening now. The time is coming up. Something’s going to happen one way or the other.”

Trump, who has railed against American involvement in what he calls “forever wars” in the Middle East and elsewhere, nevertheless threatened to take military action if the talks aren’t productive.

“I think they want to get that letter,” Trump said. “The other alternative is we have to do something because you can’t let them have a nuclear weapon.”

There was no immediate response from Khamenei, who is considered a hardliner and might be embarrassed by the news of any communication with Trump.

But Iranian state media quickly picked up Trump’s statement, suggesting that the Islamic regime might be taking the offer seriously.

Trump’s acknowledgment comes as both Israel and the United States have warned they will never let Iran acquire a nuclear weapon, leading to fears of a military confrontation as Tehran enriches uranium at near weapons-grade levels.

Iran long has maintained its program is for peaceful purposes. But tensions are high with the U.S. over its sanctions and amid Israel’s war in Gaza.

Trump’s first term in office was marked by a particularly troubled period in relations with Tehran. In 2018, he unilaterally withdrew the United States from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers, blasting Obama for what he denounced as a sweetheart deal with the ayatollahs.