US President Donald Trump said a fresh round of talks with Iran could yield a deal, but warned that Washington was prepared to resume military action if negotiations collapsed.
He made the comments while talking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday night.
"Iran took a beating over the last 14 days and they asked us very nicely, please stop. Let's meet," Trump said.
"And that's what we are right now. We'll see what happens. If we don't make a deal, we go back to the same thing," he added.
Trump was more explicit about the toll inflicted on Iran's armed forces.
"We've pretty much destroyed their military. They want to meet, and we're meeting. We'll see what happens. There's a chance we could make a deal. Without what we did, they wouldn't even be talking to us," he said.
Trump added that Tehran had approached Washington through both intermediaries and direct channels to request the meeting, framing the overture as evidence that sustained US pressure had worked.
"They would not have requested the meeting if we were doing poorly. The only reason they want to meet is because we've been hitting them very hard," he said, noting that oil prices had fallen sharply and stock markets had rallied following news of the possible rapprochement.
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The comments came as Trump confirmed a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, telling reporters the two remained largely aligned on Iran policy despite "a little difference" in approach.
When asked whether he sought regime change in Tehran, Trump was noncommittal, saying he had not considered the question.
The remarks mark the latest twist in weeks of escalating and de-escalating tensions between the US and Iran, following military strikes and retaliatory action that have repeatedly threatened to spill into a wider regional conflict, including disruptions near the Strait of Hormuz.
Whether the diplomatic opening translates into a lasting agreement remains uncertain, with Trump himself cautioning that failure to reach a deal would see both sides "go back to the same thing."
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