Donald Trump: I am ready to meet with Iranians without any conditions

On Monday, August 8, the President of the United States once again expressed his readiness to meet with Iranian leaders, stating that he has 'no conditions' for such a meeting. Donald Trump made these remarks during a joint press conference with Giuseppe Conte, the Prime Minister of Italy, in response to a question about whether he is willing to meet with Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran. He said, 'I am definitely ready' to meet with the Iranian President if he is willing, and this meeting would be 'without any conditions.' Iranian officials have previously rejected offers for negotiations with the U.S. Bahram Qasemi, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, denied reports that the visit of the Omani Foreign Minister to Washington was aimed at mediating between Iran and the U.S., stating, 'With this America and the policies it has adopted, there will certainly be no possibility for interaction and dialogue.' The U.S. President said, 'I definitely want to meet with the Iranians if they want to. I don’t know if they are ready for such a thing right now. I ended the deal with Iran. It was a ridiculous deal. I believe they are probably looking for a meeting, and I am ready to meet with them whenever they want.' He added that he believes in holding meetings and referenced the benefits of his recent meetings with Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, and Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia. At the same time, Trump warned that Iran 'will never be allowed' to access nuclear weapons. On May 8 of this year, he withdrew the United States from the nuclear agreement with Iran known as the JCPOA and stated that Washington's sanctions against Tehran would be reinstated. At that time, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of Iran, reacted strongly to Trump's action, saying, 'The Iranian nation stands strong, and those [previous presidents] have died, their bones have decayed, and the Islamic Republic remains. This man will also turn to dust, and his body will be food for worms, and the Islamic Republic will continue to stand.' In recent weeks, the presidents of the two countries have intensified their verbal war against each other. After Hassan Rouhani described war with Iran as 'the mother of all wars' and peace with Iran as 'the mother of all peace,' Trump warned him, 'Never threaten the U.S. again.' Meanwhile, John Bolton, the U.S. National Security Advisor, stated, 'In the past few days, I spoke with the President [Trump], and he told me that if Iran takes any negative action, it will pay a price that few countries have paid before.' In June of this year, over a hundred political and civil activists inside and outside Iran issued a statement calling for 'direct and unconditional negotiations' between Iran and the U.S., citing the 'global' welcome of Trump's meeting with the North Korean leader and the 'dangerous situation' in the region. Figures and media close to the conservatives strongly attacked this proposal and accused the signatories of the letter of 'treason.'